The "drilling rigs" mentioned as of late are all designed to dig a round hole, not a square one. Every tower foundation spec I've seen (USTower, Trylon, AN Wireless) specs a square hole. There are lo
OK, I can buy that. So, if they are spec'ing square holes for commercial users then those commercial users must have a reasonable way of creating the required holes. It seems unlikely to me that they
Yes, they probably use a back hoe. I suspect the answer to my original question about how they build the pad-and-pier holes is that they dig the hole big enough for the pad, insert a form for the pie
My wife and I plan to move. My options are limited by my need for a short commute to my job. I live in Suburbia and need to stay in Suburbia. I also want to be able to put up a tower (even if it is s
The MA550 should be able to handle a 2 element SteppIR to at least 70 mph according to the MA550 specs. In fact, it should be able to handle a 3 element SteppIR at that windspeed. US Tower claims the
You will need lots of patience. I've been trying to get my city to change its blatently illegal height limit for almost 4 years. I've had ARRL directors, an ARRL volunteer counsel, and a ham lawyer i
In my city (and most with height limits) it is not legal to install a crankup that can be extended beyond the height limit. You won't get a building permit for it. You can install it illegally and *h
There is a very good chance that (after 4 years of waiting and fighting with city planners) I am finally going to be allowed to install a tower: in another city of course. I will most likely go with
Maybe I will be able to get a bobcat back there. It's not the width I'm worried about, but rather height. It would need to be less than 6 or 7 feet tall in order to fit under a "lean-to" that is perm
Any recommendations on how to take a crankup tower off the delivery truck and transport to the back yard without a crane or 10 strong men? They are heavy and need support on both ends and the middle
Thanks. That sounds like it will work. Now, how do you get the tower off the delivery truck without damaging it? (and without 10 strong men :-)) _______________________________________________ See: h
The trip to the backyard will be across a combination of concrete, stamped concrete, and pavers. The last 10 or 15 feet to the tower base is grass. _______________________________________________ See
I haven't figured out how to pour the concrete yet, but if necessary I could have it pumped. Yes, I know you wind up with some waste concrete but if that's what it takes...so be it. _________________
Yea, I was thinking about an engine hoist myself, but I was concerned about supporting the tower only in the middle. I've been told in the past that these things are so heavy that supporting them onl
I haven't ordered the tower yet so I can't be totally sure, but it is almost certainly going to be a 54/55 footer made by Tashjian Towers or US Tower. It will be an HD lattice model OR it will be one
I'm not sure you can say the SteppIR is the BEST contesting antenna. I own a 3 element SteppIR and love it. The primary reasons I chose SteppIR are: 1) It is less visible on a small city lot (ie. 6 b
I just moved into a new (well, new to my family anyway) home and I want to start routing coax, rotator cables, etc. through the wall of my shack (ie. spare bedroom). I'd like to do this as cleanly as
I'm looking at putting in a tower and I've been leaning toward the crankup for exactly the same reason: neighbor appeasement. I'm sure my wife would probably like it a bit more too, but she's support
Lot's of cities require crankups for any tower over, let's say, 35 feet or whatever. They do this because *think* it is less visible. The truth of the matter is, as you say, that a retracted crankup
I believe a previous post was incorrect. It is my understanding that Tristao became Tri-Ex, not US Tower. Tri-Ex was later sold to Karl Tashjian who currently makes towers under the name of Tashjian