As long as you want "to get everyone's opinion on this" here is my $.02... I
have the 71' U.S. Tower tubular (MA-770MDP, MARB-770 etc with the motor
drive and remote control). I chose this tower because I am one of those guys
with big time vertigo. I HATE climbing towers. I live way out in the boonies
too so it's hard to get help. I wanted a tower that I could work on all by
myself without the climb. I can lower the tower, tilt it over with the
raising fixture, get up on a tall Ladder and and do what I gotta do. The
tower is neighbor friendly ( I don't have many neighbors), requires no guys
and you really will be able to do it all by yourself. I really like it.
Having said that you need to heed the advice of our fellow TowerTalkers.
?Lower the tower when not in use. You don't always know when the next
unexpected storm may hit. We get some doozies here in the Sonoran desert of
Arizona.
?Do as we say, not as we do... I have had to get my ass up out of bed in the
middle of the night on a number of occasions to lower the tower because of
unexpected lightning and wind and rain. All I can think is that I was sure
glad I had the remote control so I could lower the tower from indoors
instead of standing in the rain.
?Lower the tower when not in use. (Did I mention that?) I spent all my money
on the tower and ended up using a 40 year old refurbished Mosley TA33M on my
shiny expensive new tower. One afternoon in October (after the nasty monsoon
season) the haiboob blows in with the accompanying microbursts. My little
5.5 sq ft antenna (tower rated at 10 sq ft @ 50mph) is swinging in the
breeze like a freaking palm tree during Katrina. I lowered the tower but
that was the last time it was ever at 71 feet. The tower was somehow damaged
because I lowered it in the wind. 5 months go by and I am still scratching
my head because I don't have a clue how to fix the tower. The factory's home
office in Woodlake tells me not to use it until I get it fixed, but they
offer no advice. After asking for advice here on TT someone from the
factory's Kansas office calls the very next day and offers to replace the
tower free of charge if I will pay the shipping. Yee haw! TT ROCKS!
?Documentation and support from US Towers suck, but they did, in my case,
stand behind the product. Know what you are getting into. Ask us for help if
you need it.
This is still the best tower for me. I LOVE IT. It works really well when
you know the rules. Now I just got to save my dinero for a StepIR....
73 de -Steve- WU9B
Oh yeah... One more shameless plug as I have posted these here before...
Pictures of the first tower install at http://www.qsl.net/wu9b/
GL on your tower, whatever you decide!
on 10/15/06 10:57 AM, jknodel M Knodel at jknodel@msn.com wrote:
> I would like to get everyone's opinion on this -
>
> I am planning on installing a US Towers crankup tower. These towers are
> rated for windloads at 50mph and 70mph. I want to stack 2 beams on the
> tower. These 2 antennas would exceed the tower's windload rating at 70mph
> but would be well within the rating for 50mph. I plan to install a wind
> speed meter and deligently crank down the tower every time the wind exceeds
> 50mph.
>
> I cannot install a guyed tower at this location so this is my only option.
> The crankup with these antennas and cranking it down in winds over 50mph is
> my plan. Am I asking for trouble in doing this?? Thanks.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> TowerTalk@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
--
Steve Robinson
(480) 471-2090 Home
(480) 471-2066 Home FAX
(480) 202-4747 Mobile
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