[TowerTalk] AB105 - The Curse

[Steve Maki]

TOMK5RC@aol.com wrote:
 
> The Curse of Ft. Huachuca
> by Tom Taormina, K5RC
> 
> I'm not often given to looking to the dark side for answers to inexplicable
> events, but, after a 20 year string of bizarre happenings, I am labeling this
> one The Curse of Ft. Huachuca (wa-choo-ka). The origins of the curse may never
> be known, so we pick up the story in the mid-1970's in Peoria, Arizona.
> 
> W7KW moved to the far north end of Phoenix to escape neighbors and to build a
> substantial antenna farm. He acquired about 1,500 feet of military surplus
> AB-105 tower from Ft. Huachuca Military Reserve (hence the name of the curse)
> and erected four 180' towers. Virtually from the moment he completed the
> towers, his problems began. A neighbor started harassing him about the towers
> and started what would become a four year legal battle. It seems that the
> neighbor found the towers offensive because they obstructed his view of the
> mountains! The entire affair was punctuated by incidents of malicious
> harassment, sabotage and covert activities that were a constant source of
> aggravation to Bill. He persisted, however, erecting the prototype KLM 4
> element 80 meter beam and gaining a famous cover shot in CQ Magazine when he
> erected an antenna using a hot air balloon. The effects of the curse again
> manifested themselves in a freak wind storm that totally destroyed the 80
> meter beam. Shortly after that, a court ruled that W7KW would have to lower
> the towers to 120' feet to placate the neighbor.

During a trip to Phoenix in 79 or 80, I visited Bill and heard the sad
story
of the neighbor's lawsuit.  As I recall, the neighbor was a lawyer who
moved
in AFTER the towers were up.

I noticed when I drove up that one of the towers had a strange bend in it
approx. 20' or 30' above ground.  I believe Bill said it was caused by a
flying barn roof!  Freak wind storm, indeed.

--
Steve K8LX

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