[TowerTalk] Schedule 40 saga

[Steve Weisbrod]

Hi Dennis

I'm not sure where you are located but I had the same problem you do and   
found that shipping costs are prohibited for mast material. I found that   
here in Minneapolis there are a number of used and new steel yards that   
specialize in pipe and tubing. I found a brand new piece of
6061-T6  1/4" wall Alum tubing 15 feet long for $70. This was a odd piece   
in a steel yard that had new and used stuff. They had lots of Alum even   
though they were a steel Co. I have a 20M beam 1 ft above the Hazer and a   
12 ele Force12 10 ft above that. According to MARC with some fudging its   
good to 70 MPH. I'm in the woods with tall trees so I have an additional   
safety factor. Go hunting if you call these places they won't know what   
they have. They didn't even know after I got there I just looked around   
their yard till I found it!

73 Steve W8GAZ Minnetonka MN

 ----------
From:  Dennis Schaefer
Sent:  Monday, November 10, 1997 5:57 PM
To:  steve; 'towertalk@contesting.com'
Subject:  [TowerTalk] Schedule 40 saga

I needed a piece of steel mast.  I am using a Hazer and need about 2 feet
out of the Hazer to clear the top of the tower and about 3 more feet to   
get
the KT-34A a respectable height above the tower.  A few more feet above   
the
beam could hold a 2 meter antenna or something light.  I'm not going to   
try
to stack very much on the Hazer.  I thought surely I could find an
acceptable piece of steel tubing locally.

The first thing I did was go back through Towertalk archives.  I found   
that
"Schedule 40, etc" did not seem to be acceptable, and was sometimes
referred to as "water pipe".   I saw messages about the MARC program and
realized that I should have ordered it a long time ago.  I decided that   
for
my application, chrome-moly was not necessary if I could find a good   
grade
of structural tubing.  This led to some surprising conversations.

First, I went to a local steel distributor.  I had never been there, and
was surprised to find a large firm that appeared to employ almost 100
people.  The sales rep. told me that they mainly fabricate  things, and
they do business all over the U.S.  He would be glad to sell me a piece   
of
tubing (pipe) though.  I showed him an ad from Texas Towers (2", high
carbon steel, 79,000 psi yield) and told him that was what I wanted.   
 "Oh,
what you need is Schedule 40", he said.   I asked him if they didn't have
anything better, and he assured me that Schedule 40 and Schedule 80 were
all they used, and their structures carried extremely heavy loads, as   
well
as human beings.  I asked about the psi yield rating, and he waffled a
little.  "We are only concerned about downward pressure, dead weight
capacity.  We don't really have a spec for the wind loading stuff you are
talking about".

Anyway, I was surprised to hear that Schedule 40 was considered by some   
to
be structural material, even if the specs I wanted were not available.

He gave me the exact dimensions for the Schedule 40 and 80 pipe, and I
left.  I looked in the Glen Martin (Hazer) catalog, and saw they had mast
tubing at a very attractive price.  I also noticed that the dimensions
looked strangely familiar.  I called them and, yes, it was Schedule 40!
They said I could probably get it locally and save the shipping charges.
They also told me that UPS could ship up to 9 feet lengths.  I thought   
the
limit was 7 feet.  If Texas Towers has a 9 foot mast, maybe I'll just   
order
one.  Or maybe the  truck freight charges on a 10 footer won't be more   
than
I am willing to pay. (Or - TT is only a 6 hr drive - and I could also   
visit
some computer stores!)   Maybe K5RC has some input for me, also.

I don't think I am presenting any new information here, or really asking
any questions, but it was an interesting afternoon.
73,
Dennis,  W5RZ
Russellville, Arkansas


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