I also own three AB-577's and have had exactly the same experience as Dan.
If the wind isn't blowing over 5-10 MPH, you can do the whole job yourself,
as Dan describes. If the wind is blowing harder, you should have a man on
each guy. An alternative is to loosen the guys just enough to raise the mast
a couple of feet, raise the mast until the guys snug up, loosen them again,
and so forth. This procedure is described in the manual. It takes a long
time to do it this way, and a lot of running around, but it's the only safe
way for one man to do the job on a windy day. I raised the 75' version with
one other person this way -- and it had a 40-2CD and a rotor on top! It took
forever, but was basically a safe process.
The screw-in anchors work fine here.
73, Dick WC1M
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan Hammill [mailto:kb5my@starband.net]
> Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2003 6:11 PM
> To: towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: RE: [TowerTalk] Portable Tower Question
>
>
> I don't want to start a war...but with all due respect to
> Jamie, I have to disagree with the notion that AB-577
> movement and installation can't be one-man jobs. I own three
> of them, and have transported and erected one or more several
> times by myself with absolutely zero assistance.
>
> The trick for transporting them (i.e. - loading in a truck
> bed is to pull the tubes and carrier out, move the pieces,
> then reassemble in the truck bed. Of course it adds 10
> minutes or so to the process - but these sorts of things
> shouldn't be done in a hurry anyway.
>
> My typical one-man installation time for a standard 50-footer
> runs about 1-2 hours, depending on the complexity of the
> antenna stack (long VHF yagis, preamps, HELIAX, etc.), and
> includes shoveling a level pad in hard-packed decomposed
> granite soil. Sure, I get some exercise in the process, but
> everything has always progressed smoothly.
>
> So far, my only problem with the AB-577 system is that the
> standard guy stakes are too short for handling high gusting
> winds (75-90 MPH w/ long gusts 95-110 MPH)...and forget screw
> anchors in our soil. You might as well try to screw one into
> cured concrete. I'm considering some concrete base pads and
> guy points at home for semi-permanent use.
>
> Good luck & 73,
> Dan KB5MY/6
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
> > [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com]On Behalf Of James
> C. Hall,
> > M.D.
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2003 13:15
> > To: JWallace@karta.com; towertalk@contesting.com
> > Subject: RE:[TowerTalk] Portable Tower Question
> >
> >
> >
> > Hi John:
> >
> > There are several Army Surplus models that may fit the
> bill. The most
> > popular is the AB-577 "Rocket Launcher" which will go 50
> feet and with
> > an extension kit will go 70 feet. It weighs about 200 lbs
> and is NOT a
> > one-man job. I know - I have one. This may be complete overkill,
> > however, and you may be able to use something like a AB-155, which
> > will go to 30 feet and is
> > definitely a one-man job. I use one of these to support a
> long Carolina
> > Windom on one end. Both of these are VERY popular in ham
> circles and, as
> > such, have become rare to find complete 'kits'. When you
> can find them (
> > usually on eBay ), they will fetch a 'pretty penny' ! Ontario
> > Surplus should
> > have some info on all this.
> >
> > 73, Jamie
> > WB4YDL
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
> > [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com]On Behalf Of John Wallace
> > Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2003 11:15 AM
> > To: towertalk@contesting.com
> > Subject: [TowerTalk] Portable Tower Question
> >
> >
> >
> > I am interested in building or buying a truly portable
> tower or guyed
> > mast assembly that would extend up to about 40 feet in height.
> >
> > By "truly portable", I mean that one or two people ought to
> be able to
> > lift the thing out of the back of a pickup truck, carry it a few
> > hundred feet, set it on the ground, and have it up in less than 30
> > minutes, using just a sledgehammer to drive in guy wire stakes &
> > ground rods.
> >
> > In my application, the weight and wind resistance of the antenna
> > itself would be negligible.
> >
> > I don't want to re-invent the wheel; can anybody point me to design
> > information and/or to a commercial vendor?
> >
> > Thanx in Advance, john W2GNI ... jwallace AT karta DOT com
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> > See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers",
> > "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free,
> > 1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > TowerTalk mailing list
> > TowerTalk@contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> > See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers",
> > "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free,
> > 1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > TowerTalk mailing list
> > TowerTalk@contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> >
>
>
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