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RE: [TowerTalk] buying new tower

To: tod@k0to.us, towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: RE: [TowerTalk] buying new tower
From: "S. J. Blackwell" <w5lu@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 21:02:31 +0000
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>





>With 2 bolts on every joint, >I just can't see how any noise could occur.

After a very few folding operations I noticed that the bolt holes were
becoming slightly elongated, particularly in the vicinity of the hinge, and
the sections moved perhaps as much a 1/16 inch up and down as the wind blew
the antenna.

Tod,
This is a striking finding. I had a 60 foot Universal aluminiun tower up for 25+ years. It never behaved as you described. When I took it down, the base was unbolted and a large crane was used to lift it from its site from 6 feet behind my house. It was lifted from the back yard vertically over the two story house and laid down in the front yard. The bolts between the sections were removed and efforts were then made to take the sections apart. I found the sections to be frozen together as the similar metal interface had galled. One section was damaged and was discarded during thes efforts. No holes were elongated. I almost believe the thing would have stood at that point in time without the bolts. (don't worry I will not try this) It took tremendous force from a hydraulic jack to seperate the sections. I have put it up at another site with new lower sections (30" vice 26"). Again nothing like you describe. It has now been up about 4 years.(It was never folded over.)
I will not try to explain this, but one must wonder why the bolt holes were wallowed out. From my old days of making experimental aircraft, one has to wonder if the bolts were too small for the holes or if the was just not enough meat for the intended purpose. An aircraft that had wing spar bolt or rivet holes wallowed like that would have been junked.


73,
Sam, W5LU

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