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[TowerTalk] Why lambast Rohn ?????

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Subject: [TowerTalk] Why lambast Rohn ?????
From: ddjones@nas.com (Dale Jones K5MM)
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 1998 10:22:40 -0600
 Gerald & others:
 This issue of lambasting Rohn for not sharing data that they may have is
 interesting. From my perspective, if I were Rohn Company, or the owner of
that
 company, I would do exactly what they are doing. 

 Couple of points:
        1.      It's not their fault that competition doesn't exist for their 
products.
        2.      They are not demanding or requiring ANYONE to buy their 
products.
        3.      They do not have a requirement for purchasers to certify their 
intended
                use of the product before buying it, and they cannot control 
the use
                of it either.  Just like hand-guns.
        3.      They do have a solution that will work for booms over 10 feet 
long, for
                which they do have drawings and data. ie: Rohn 25, 45, 55, etc.
        4.      Even if they DO have calculations within their company for 
longer than
                10 foot booms on HDBX towers, there is no requirement for them 
to share
                that information with ANYONE if they choose to recommend a 
different
           solution.  Ostensibly those calculations could prove that for
95% of 
           the cases a TH7DX could be mounted on an HDBX in 300 MPH winds,
but 
                they certainly are within their rights to protect themselves 
for that 
                remaining 5%, or for Marketing reasons for that matter.
        5.      In this litigeous, lawyer infested, "too many laws" society 
that we live
                in--in the USA, Rohn is very WISE to not share any information 
with
                anyone.  You can bet you boots that they would get sued if they 
did
                share information and SOMETHING unpleasant happened because of 
doing so.
        6.      The guys that Stan W7NI referred to who had BX towers buckle 
with TH6
                antennas on them have empirically shown that a TH6 type antenna 
is
                too big.  Rohn recommended AGAINST putting that big a beam on 
that tower.
                Rohn is clean.....no freaking lawsuits.....GOOD !  The hams 
with those
                broken tower & antenna installations tried to go forth "on the 
cheap",
                against guidelines from Rohn.  Now, they can abide by Rohn's 
guidelines
                (and not exceed 10 ft boom lengths), or they can buy a tower 
that is
           recommended for their installation, or maybe they can get an
insurance            company to replace the crumpled one.

 I'm surprised to see all the negative barbs thrown toward Rohn for protecting
 themselves in a society that circles like buzzards to sue the guy next door.
 Good for Rohn!!

 For what it's worth, I have NOTHING to do with Rohn company.  I have
purchased
 their products in the past though, 
 73
 Dale  K5MM
****************************************************************************
******

At 11:14 AM 2/5/98 -0500, you wrote:
>No data for boom lengths longer than 10ft: Classic example of what happens
>without competition. They have the market sewed up for this type of tower and
>get out of all legal responsibility for failures by understating the real
>capability for the tower. They know fully well that almost every one of these
>towers are installed with antennas having boom lengths longer than 10feet!
>
>It is a wonder they haven't been taken to task by some legal beagle over this
>error of ommission!
>
>The dilema for Joe Ham is that he is told and has heard that these HBX and
>HDBX towers are greatly under-rated and he can install a much larger antenna
>than specified. How much larger? Heavens help him if makes a bad judgement
>and actually does install a "too large" antenna.
>
>I have brought this subject up many times over the years with Rohn reps but
>this is a company position and help with this is apparently not forthcoming.
>
>73 to all, 
>Gerald Williamson, K5GW, Owner/General Manager, Texas Towers
>
>
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