[TowerTalk] Amateur Engineers vs Amateurs

[K7LXC@aol.com]

In a message dated 97-04-12 10:53:20 EDT, k0wa@southwind.net (Lee Buller)
writes:

> So, can we over engineer this stuff...or can we just have good common
sense? 
>   Are we having fun?  
>  
     A voice from the wilderness!  Just kidding.

    Actually an interesting question and kind of a reality check.  

     I'm a big fan of doing things practically and not being an engineer
gives me the ability to sometimes do it.  I think there are two things to
consider.  First, antenna and tower systems are potentially dangerous.
 Accidents, deaths and lawsuits are a likely result of inadequate
engineering.  Secondly, all I want people to do is to follow the
manufacturer's specifications; over-engineering is strictly optional.  When
you're in bed on a dark and stormy night and you're trying to remember if you
tightened that U-bolt on the death ray yagi or operating during a big contest
and wonder if your hardware will make it through the weekend, you'll be glad
that you did the best job you could do by doing everything right.  These
tower and antenna systems play a major part in the FUN of ham radio.  Heck,
for some people, the fun is building the systems!

     Do we TowerTalkians sometimes beat topics to death?  Occasionally, but
don't forget that we get new people all the time and they might not know some
of the things we take for granted.  BTW, there are over 1100 people on
TowerTalk and the digest.  On TowerTalk, there's no such thing as a dumb
question and I encourage everyone to not only ask questions but also
contribute their knowledge and experiences. And, oh yeah, HAVE FUN.

73,  Steve  K7LXC

--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com