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Re: [TowerTalk] More crank-up questions

To: nf4l@comcast.net, towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] More crank-up questions
From: Grant Saviers <grants2@pacbell.net>
Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2013 17:10:52 -0800
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Contrary to other advice, do ground the tower anchor bolts to the rebar. Then you have a great Ufer ground, considering the area of the concrete in contact with the earth. The rebar should be tied per code, with sufficient overlaps and inside the concrete envelope per code. Depending on your site and storm patterns, additional ground rods may be appropriate.

For my two HDX589's we mounted the anchor bolts tightly to the base plate and tack welded rebar between the six bolts to make a solid sub frame so that the bolts wouldn't move when the concrete was placed and vibrated. That way the concrete can be placed and finished without the interference from the base plate. This sub frame was wire tied to the main rebar cage. After the concrete hardened the base frame was installed and leveled. You can order stronger concrete (4000psi or higher) than the UST spec (2500) for a very slight up-charge. The limiting factor in concrete for towers is tensile strength, not compression, considering the tensile/compressive strength ratio. A free standing tower has opposite forces in the legs, 1 or 2 in tension and the others in compression when the wind blows hard.

Proper water content and curing is important. You can get a slump test and post cure strength report from an independent testing outfit. Code required this for my towers and I think it cost about $250 per tower, as they were poured on different days.

The 589 is positive pull down, but it doesn't matter vs the HD70 since for either design the tower weight is always on a cable, unless down and blocked for climbing. Better to avoid that anyway and use a ladder or rent a boom lift.

The NF7P coax standoffs work well for me - the loop types not the "holds coax off the ground" type.

Grant KZ1W

snip..
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