I am sure there is more than one guy out there wondering why they have not
heard me chime in on this thread since I am famous for not liking crankups.
The answer is simple. People who want crankups and tiltovers are extremely
good at rationalizing away all of the serious problems and they put them up
anyway. I just got tired of talking about it . . . same stuff . . . over
and over and over. People still put up crankups and get maimed. Insurance
companies still insure them. It is like the National Debt and Social
Security . . . it ain't gonna go away . . . yawn . . .
Stan
w7ni@easystreet.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim White, K4OJ" <k4oj@tampabay.rr.com>
To: "WYsixK" <wy6k@yahoo.com>; "Bill Otten" <res0958z@verizon.net>;
<Towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2002 10:39 PM
Subject: Re: [Towertalk] CRANK UP TOWERS
> you want to know what helpless is....
>
> Helpless is watching a foldover tower crash into the ground because the
weld
> on the manufacturer's winch spool broke...
>
> This happened on my mother's birthday one year - and she at the time was
an
> ardent DXer...talk about a lousy Birthday...a beautiful Telrex yagi
reduced
> to an ugly mess...not because the installation was incorrect...not due to
> overloading...but due to a mechanical failure that never could happen on a
> fixed tower...
>
> Fixed towers are simple structures...less to break - Keep It Simple Stupid
> is good logic for radio towers...don't get fancy - stay simple and avoid
> potential heartache and injury.
>
> If you have to have a crankdown foldover because you do not climb you are
> wrong - you can take the cost of a crank down foldover and subtract the
> money a fixed tower costs...put it in a savings account and when you need
to
> service the tower pay someone to do it...better yet be an Elmer to a young
> ham who cannot afford the big stuff...
>
> I have known hams who have lost fingers and toes and myself been scared
out
> of my wits by a telescoping tower that suddenly decided it wanted to nest
> another inch...
>
> In all my time climbing tower I never felt the fear I felt climbing at a
> height of 15 or 20 feet when that tower suddenly nested a little more -
even
> when I climbed to the top of K4XS' 199 footer to help him install a 40
meter
> yagi I was tired as heck up there but it never occurred to me to be
> worried...
>
> Check out what you are shelling out for the collapsible
foldovers...compare
> the price to a fixed tower....there is NO comparison...put that money in
the
> bank...and save yourself some fingers and toes.
>
> 73,
>
> Jim, K4OJ
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