Before we get a flame war going, I'd like to say that it appears we have two
different, equally valid, discussions going on here.
On the one hand, Larry does need advice on pulley maintenance. For my two
cents, Bruce, the owner of U.S. Tower, told me exactly the same thing, that
the pulleys do not require lubrication. In fact, he went on at some length
about how they are heavy duty aircraft pulleys with strength ratings well
beyond what is required. However, I see no harm in lightly lubricating the
pulleys and cables, regardless of what U.S. Tower says. After all, they say
it is not necessary, but they don't say you shouldn't do it. A minutes of
work and a few cents worth of lube seem like a small price to pay for
insurance. (However, I sure wish we could get U.S. Tower in on this
discussion.)
Charlie, on the other hand, is correct in pointing out a serious problem
with U.S. Tower products. I didn't spend $10K on my 70' motorized rotating
tubular, but I sure did spend a bundle (and if you add in all the other
costs of installing the tower, it was well over $10K). This is a relatively
complex device, and I had two very serious problems getting it to work. It
took well over a week to get it to rotate properly, and all of the problems
I had could have been avoided with a few simple instructions. The other
problem could have resulted in permanent damage to the tower or even a
collapse: the coax snagged -- which did about $150 worth of damage to the
coax and balun. Both problems can be traced to the absolute lack of
documentation with the tower. As Charlie says, "not one word". In my case,
it's even worse; there are no instructions for replacing the cables, either.
That's really a problem on a tubular because you can't see how the cable is
strung inside the tubes without disassembling the tower.
I must say that Bruce at U.S. Tower personally gave me a great deal of help
with my problems, and now the tower is working beautifully. I think it's a
very high quality product (which could use a few design enhancements, of
course.) He told me that he has a structural engineer and a lawyer working
on a new, comprehensive manual with color illustrations on everything,
including cable replacement. He said I would get a copy. I'm waiting with
bated breath (whatever that means...)
I do have a lot more to say on the tower and my experiences installing and
using it. However, it will be a long, long message or series of messages.
How should I handle this, folks? Should I send one big message, several
smaller ones, or just write it up in Word and make it availabel to whoever
wants it?
73, Dick, WC1M
-----Original Message-----
From: Larry.Burke. <lburke@wt.net>
To: towertalk@contesting.com <towertalk@contesting.com>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Sunday, February 01, 1998 9:00 AM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] US Tower -- Pully Replacement?
>
>Charlie --
>
>It's not clear from your note whether you are chastising me for asking this
>question of the reflector or criticizing US Tower for not including this
>information in their literature. In either case, your reply offers little
in
>the way of constructive information. Let me clear a few things up:
>
>(1) If it really matters, the tower cost $1,400 not $10K.
>
>(2) I am the original owner and have the original paperwork. The manual
>makes no reference to replacement of the pulleys, only the cable. I never
>said there was, as you put it, "NOT ONE WORD of instructions".
>
>(3) A factory rep told me it was NOT necessary to replace the pulleys along
>with the cables. HOWEVER...
>
>(4) I was turning to TowerTalk to seek advice from those who have actually
>USED the equipment NOT just those who have built it. Geeze, I thought that
>was what the reflector was all about... sharing PRACTICAL experiences. If
we
>could get EVERYTHING from a manual NOONE would need the reflector.
>
>
>To those of you who have offered some useful feedback, I'd like to take
this
>opportunity to say "thanks". Seems the pulleys do need attention, despite
>the manufacturer's comments. At least one individual told me the story of
>complete pulley failure due to neglect. I could relate to his useful
>explanation given the particular problem I am having. Thanks all (well,
>almost all)!
>
>
>Larry WI5A
>
>
>
>At 06:06 AM 2/1/98 -0600, you wrote:
>>US Towers should have a complete instruction book that comes with every
>>tower so you don't have to ask a reflector these kinds of questions. I
>>have never had the pleasure before of buying a 10K item and having not
>>one word, let me say this again, NOT ONE WORD, of directions!
>>
>>73,
>>
>>Charlie, W0YG..>>
>>
>>--
>>FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
>>Submissions: towertalk@contesting.com
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>>Problems: owner-towertalk@contesting.com
>>Search: http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search
>>
>>
>
>
>--
>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
--
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
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