Dear Colleagues,
I was planning to finish my tower project before listing all the costs I've
incurred in its move and erection. Due to the series titled "Cheap Hams" I
figured it was a good time to begin telling about tower and antenna expenses.
I picked up a 6 year old US Tower, Model HDX-572 MDPL (72' self standing)
complete with tilt over fixture, motor, remote control, a HyGain TH-11DX beam
and several side mount antennas and accessories. The cost from the estate of a
SK was $3,000.00 The deal called for the buyer to lower and transport, at their
expense. Total roundtrip mileage was under 750 miles. I rented a trailer and
went to get it - thus beginning my "Tower Project."
I'm at the stage where the concrete is curing for the base. I have another
2 weeks to go and then I'll be ready to hoist it up with a crane and place it on
the brace/base assembly. I am currently working on the radial and peripheral
ground system. I'm having a work party here tomorrow to finish driving the
remaining 26, 5/8x8' ground rods, connecting and Cadwelding them together.
To date, that fantastic $3,000.00 deal (after all, that was about 25 cents
on the dollar) has grown to an out of pocket expense of $10,301.58. I'm hoping
to cap it off at something under $13,000.00 before it's all done.
Will keep you all informed -- now I know why I've been a ham for 38 years
and never had a tower until now, when I'm retired!
73,
Mike DiGiroalmo, W4XN
Charlottesville, VA
-------------------------
-> . Message: 1
-> . Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 17:11:19 -0400
-> . From: "K8RI on TowerTalk" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
-> . Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] cheap hams
-> . To: <TOWERTALK@contesting.com>
-> . Message-ID: <003301c6c30b$47280720$6500a8c0@SecondOne>
-> . Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
-> . reply-type=original
-> .
-> .
-> .
-> .
-> . > On Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:42:40 -0500, Keith Dutson wrote:
-> . >
-> . >>Two words come to mind:
-> . >>Resourceful
-> . >>Thrifty
-> . >
-> . > Yes. And not all hams have spare cash laying around.
-> . For many, it is
-> . > a stretch to own one decent radio. The cost of a beam
-> . on a properly
-> . > engineered tower could put a child through a year at
-> . some colleges!
-> .
-> . That's either a very expensive college or cheap tower
-> . installation. A good
-> . size tower that requires engineering at the local level
-> . (in some areas)
-> . could send a kid all the way through some four year colleges.
-> .
-> . Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL 40 year Life Member)
-> . N833R - World's oldest Debonair CD-2
-> . www.rogerhalstead.com (Use return address from home page)
-> . >
-> . > 73,
-> . >
-> . > Jim Brown K9YC
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