Jim,
Sorry to hear of your trouble. I have nightmares about that happening with
my MA-770MDP. Hopefully remote control will reduce the chances of being
under it if the cable snaps -- you were lucky not to get hurt! Antenna parts
falling could have been very dangerous, but think about the end of that
cable whipping around...
Perhaps the answers to some questions will help prevent similar collapses:
1. Where exactly did the cable break? (I assume it was the main cable and
not the secondary cable for the top section.)
2. Can you determine anything from the area around the break (rusted fibers,
bends, kinks, etc.)?
3. What's the overall condition of the cable? Does it show rust spots and/or
broken fibers anywhere else? Any evidence of corrosion from the atmosphere
near the ocean?
4. Did you lubricate the cable? If so, how often and with what product?
5. Had you been inspecting the cable regularly? If so, had you seen any
clues of deterioration?
6. What's the total windload of your antenna system? Total weight?
7. What's the highest windspeed in which you had the tower fully extended?
Did it sway pretty violently in winds of that speed, maybe stressing the
cable?
I wouldn't rule out a recabling. Bruce says it's not that hard on the 40, 50
and 70 foot tubular towers because the lowest removable section is pretty
light. Apparently, the 89-footer is the only one that requires removal of
the tower from the base. He said the lowest removable section on my tower
weighs only 80 lbs and can be extracted with the tower tilted over with the
tiltover fixture. That would be the fixed section on your tower, so the
heaviest removable section shouldn't weigh all that much. Obviously, the
antenna has to be removed, but you have to do that anyway. I'd contact the
factory and talk it over with them. If you do that, let us know.
Again, you have my sympathy. At least you live in paradise...
73, Dick, WC1M
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions: towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests: towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-towertalk@contesting.com
Search: http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm
|