First of all, thanks to the many who replied. I am about to start ordering
replacement parts and have decided to go with the bolt down mounting base
rather than a pier pin or trying to bolt to the remaining stub of the old
tower.
The question of the moment is, what is a good way to grip 3/16 guy wire with
a come-along to get the initial tension on it? I plan on using preforms on
the guys if that has any bearing on methods. Have been looking at
McMAster-Carr ( http://www.mcmaster.com ) and find both smooth and knurled
jaw grips. Not sure I like the thought of the knurling biting into my brand
new guy wire but maybe it is not a significant bite ?? There is also a
smooth jaw model which, for some reason, costs about $15 more ($48 vs $33
catalog price). Search for " Sure-Clamp Wire and Cable Grips " to see what
I'm referring to. Maybe there is something as good or better for less $$ ?
Homebrew methods? Your thoughts appreciated.
Also, I picked up one of those 16 inch laser levels Radio Shack had on sale
last month ($20) and am thinking that would be a dandy way to
straighten/align the tower - no worries about the wind moving a plumb bob
around, etc. Haven't really thought about a mount for the level and a target
for it but shouldn't be too tough. Am I missing any obvious reasons for not
making a mount for the level (up the tower) and an identical mount for a 6
inch or so target that would mount near the bottom of the tower? Would have
to have some sort of mount that would force the brackets to mount square to
the sections of tower they are fastened to (i.e., if mounted to the same
section of tower, the alignment between the laser level and the target would
be right-on just by bolting them in place). Even if I'm off the target
initially, the spot would be easy to see on the concrete. More thoughts?
Tnx & 73 de
Mike / W8DN
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