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[TowerTalk] Bent Mast

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Bent Mast
From: WW4T@aol.com (WW4T@aol.com)
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 09:22:50 EDT
   Roger...
   Several years ago I had the same problem with a bent mast and TH7 with a 2 
meter antenna above it. Also keep in mind I had a  "schedule 80" mast pipe in 
place.  After several of us had  headscratched for a while, we decided to do 
the following....it worked great for me, and may be a solution for you. 
   1)  Tie a strong rope as far  up and "above" the bent place as 
possible.....
   2)  Tie another rope to the area of the "bend"....just "below" the bend 
and just above the bend.  This is a simple "bridge" of the bent  place on the 
mast.
   3)  take a hacksaw, and SLOWLY saw and gradually weaken the "bent" 
part....while simultaneously letting the ground crew pull downward on rope # 
1.....as the cut weakens the mast, and tension pulls downward....the mast 
will bend downward, and the antennas will be reachable as the mast folds 
over.  You can gain access to the antennas, and remove them this way.
   4)  Rope #2 is a "safety" measure that spans the bent area that you are 
sawing through, in case the mast totally fails as it is being sawed and 
weakened. In my case, the mast collapsed and folded over gently, but rope # 2 
is a MUST in case Murphy is around. 
   
   I hope this suggestion helps you or someone else......I am sure there are 
other ideas and better ones, but this worked great for me, and I would not 
hesitate to do it again.
   73  Bob WW4T  
   P.S.  If you cant figure this out....email me and I will give you my LL # 
......  ww4t@aol.com

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