[TowerTalk] MA-550 Questions- Part 1

[Steve Sawyers n0yvy]

I have
just
finished
telling a
gentleman
in the
local club
that his
MA-550 is
useless as
a free
standing
antenna
support in
an 80 MPH
wind
district.

He is not
real happy
with me. 

I am not
real happy
with a
manufacturer
that sells
a product
optimistically
rated at
50 MPH in
country
were the
minimum
design
wind speed
is 70 MPH
or almost
double the
wind
force.

I do not
recommend
the
product.

Steven H.
Sawyers PE

BillSavage,
K3AN
wrote:
> 
> I've been reading the posts for the past two months, and have read the
> archives on contesting.com.  I am about to purchase my first ever tower,
> and have a number of questions.  Thanks in advance for your opinions and
> recommendations.
> 
> I have just moved to a country "estate" which consists of a house in the
> middle of a 3 acre yard.  No trees except a 40' oak along the back edge of
> the property, adjoining a cornfield.  Neighbors on both sides, on
> equivalent size lots.  My property is 210 feet wide, and I have about 220
> feet from the back of the house to the back of the lot.  There are no
> antenna covenants; a few nearby neighbors have 8' satellite dishes and/or
> 30' or 40' house-bracketed TV towers.
> 
> I'm planning to install a free-standing U.S. Tower MA-550 crank-up tower
> with the manual crank option.  The MA-550 is the XYL's requirement.
> 
> 1.  I would like to use the '550 as a center support for an 80 Meter
> dipole, so I guess I want the MAB instead of the MARB base.  The MARB base
> puts the rotor at the bottom, and rotates the entire tower.  Is it feasible
> to put some kind of loose-fit "collar" on the mast that's above the top
> section, and tie the center of the dipole to some kind of arm extending
> from the collar?
> 
> 2.  If I go with the MAB mount, and put the rotator atop the tower, what's
> the maximum safe length of mast I can use and not overstress the rotator's
> bearings and other parts when I crank the tower over for antenna
> maintenance.  I'm planning on a Force 12 C3SS beam.  What would be your
> recommendation for the minimum rotator for this installation?  Would I be
> better off going to the next one up the capacity chain?
> 
> 3.  How do you go about ensuring that the base will be level, and the tower
> plumb, as you are pouring the concrete and letting it set?  Can you shim
> the base in some manner after the concrete has cured?  Will these questions
> be answered in the U.S. Tower planning information packet?
> 
> 4.  If anyone has recently purchased a MA-series tower, how long did it
> take from order to receipt.
> 
> 5.  Does U.S. Tower provide, or not provide, an installation instruction
> manual?  I've seen both answers in prior posts.
> 
> Thanks to all respondents.
> 
> 73,
> K3AN
> 
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