> I'm just about to put up a Glen Martin 1850 (18 inches on a side - 50 ft
> high) - does anyone have any tips I should know about? Also other
> questions -
Hi Paul,
Can't offer too much information, but I'm interested in how your tower
installation goes. I bought a Martin 1870 which isn't up yet -- probably
not til spring due to other projects this fall -- and a Lightning Bolt
5-band 4-ele quad to go on it. I got it because I wanted something fairly
maintenance-free and long-lasting that could handle a good-sized quad &
didn't need climbing. I like the idea of being able to lower the quad to
ground level for maintenance, and dismount it and tilt the tower over if
repairs "up the way" are needed.
The guys at Martin are very helpful in answering questions, though I
recommend you phone or fax them. E-mailing to the address on their web
site only got a response after a long delay, but phone calls were returned
promptly if someone wasn't available to answer my questions on the spot.
>From what I've heard from others, their messenger line kit is well worth
it, though you can certainly fabricate your own if you have access to a
suitable length of Kevlar. We bought the kit with the tower.
I'd expect that most people (with a helper to do the lock-down) could put
enough tensioning force on the guys with their own weight, but ask the
Martin folks. Also, there may be someone near you who has a
tension-measuring tool you cold borrow.
Yes, it's Phillystran they furnish.
As for "Stuf" -- I now understand that it's not recommended for use with
foam-dielectric cables, though not knowing this I used it on such
connections for VHF which were in place for a number of years without
problems.
Paul Elliott N3GPU
Westminster, Maryland
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions: towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests: towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-towertalk@contesting.com
Search: http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search
|