At 05:57 PM 6/21/2005, Dale Martin wrote:
>In a message dated 6/21/2005 10:15:53 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
>jc-smith@comcast.net writes:
>
> > A ham back east installed the elements on his 4L StepIR after the boom
>was
>lifted to the top of the tower. Do you think that would be feasible with a
>MonstIR? I don't have enough open space anywhere to build the whole thing
>on the ground, let alone pull it up through the trees.
>
>
>Seems like no one's mentioned the obvious (to me, anyway)--apologies, if I
>missed it and am repeating.
>
>There must be some open space you can 'borrow' somewhere nearby to assemble
>the antenna, right? Hire a helicopter to come in lift and transport it to
>the tower.
>
>Think a helo's far out? There was an article in QST or CQ years ago where
>someone did it with a hot air balloon--or was that an issue I thought I read
>during the early/mid 70's? I know it's been done with helo's before,
>though.
>
>Think how much you paid for your property. Think how much you've paid for
>your tower and associated hardware and your station equipment. Think how
>much you've paid for the antenna. It seems like helo rental might be
>economical in relation to the cost of the hardware and equipment.
Last time we used a helo to install some equipment on a hill (1999) it was
something like a couple hundred bucks an hour with a 2 hr minimum. Each
lift was several hundred pounds, plus a couple people and tools. A good
helo op can put something within a few feet without too much trouble, but
you'll definitely need to do some thinking about who's going to be standing
on top of the tower, and what they're going to do. It's NOT like a crane
where you can stop and figure things out. The downdraft from the rotor is
also an issue, because it's going to tend to make the antenna spin and sway
and pitch around. On a crane lift, you can use tag lines to the ground to
hold things in place, or, just wait til it settles down. Can't do that on
a helo lift.
>73,
>Dale, kg5u
>
No matter what you do, installing any large antenna is going to be an
"adventure".
Speaking of the total investment in the system, and small incremental
costs, consider having someone there to document it in video and still
photos. Maybe your local wedding photo/videographer type might think it's
fun and give you a discount. Or, someone at the middle or highschool might
do it as a AV "news/documentary" project for free. If it turns out really
bad, then maybe you can use the tape to win $10K on America's Funniest
Videos or something.
_______________________________________________
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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