Thanks for all the comments about Windmill towers - they make very
interesting reading. I am interested in adding such information to my
website, as it seems to me that such towers could be easily built by hams in
the 3rd world and eastern europe, where commercial towers are either
un-available or prohibitively expensive.
One message, sent to me privately, comments 'In the midwestern states these
are very common but they're steel. I've seen 3 element 40 meter beams on 60
foot windmill towers. Also, the shorter towers, 30-40 feet, make a nice
base for adding a tower above it to get to 60 feet.'
The latter is, to me, an interesting advance in thinking. I can imagine
adding an extra 10 or 15 feet of smaller lattice tower to a windmill tower -
like a mast, but much stronger. Does anyone have any photos ?
It would be interesting to hear some comments from any PEs on the list about
windmill towers, and the kind of pitfalls to watch out for when building one
for yourself. My gut feeling is that given the correct amount of concrete,
and a wide enough spread at the base, these towers are pretty fool-proof,
and can be made from the most basic of materials. I'm sure there are plenty
of city-dwellers who's neighbors or regulations wouldn't allow such a thing,
but for country-dwellers and people off the beaten track, they could be
ideal.
Your comments ?
73s Tim EI8IC
www.qsl.net/ei8ic
www.mapability.com/ei8ic
Home of the Global Overlay Mapper
Read the Dec'03 QST review online.
Many more Contest and Newbie Resources.
_______________________________________________
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.
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