[TowerTalk] newbie, Installing a 80' crank up .
Joe L Blackwell
aa4nn@juno.com
Fri, 8 Oct 1999 15:06:16 -0400
Hi Dave, de Joe AA4NN
Please get in touch with a local Ham Radio Club, people who know
about erecting towers in your locality. You'll meet new friends and
find yourself with better advice on what you are faced with.
73, de Joe AA4NN, aa4nn@juno.com
On Fri, 8 Oct 1999 11:46:57 -0700 "Dave H." <wiseguy@attitude.com>
writes:
>
> Hi to All,
>
>
> I am a new member to this fine forum of information "Tower Talk".
>
> I have just purchased a 80' crank up Tower . Dont know the
> manufacture .
> This tower is extremely heavy (two guys can barely lift it off the
> ground)
> it's galvanized and is in 20' telescopic lengths.it is made of 1"
> tubing,
> the largest section is 14" x 14" x 14" (a triangular design) (inside
> ones
> are smaller than the next 4 total= 80') The tower has "ears" at the
> top of
> each section or tabs to connect guy wires to them. The tower is a
> ladder
> design and cross bars are horizontal (ladder type) not Chris-cross
> . A bar
> design,(as opposed to a (X) design.) I hear this is not strong like
> the X
> design.
> It can be laid over on two bolts/pins, tilt up into place and then
> one
> would add the third pin to the base plate.
> these bolts don't seem strong enough to do much of anything other
> than to
> keep it into place on the 3/4' steel base plate which has 4 large
> holes at
> the corners for the base bolts (1" I think) the use of 2' long "J"
> bolts
> might work well here.
> I was thinking of a 3x3x3 base pour 4" above grade, since the tower
> is not
> of the "free standing" variety.
> But, I live where the soil is considerably heavy,(California
> Desert) when
> the soil is saturated it becomes terrible, and in the summer months
> it is so
> hard I have to drive a spike with a large hammer in the ground just
> to put a
> sprinkler in place (the type with a 7' spike on 'em)
>
> As far as placement on the property goes, I have enough property to
> locate
> it anywhere. So, the $64K question is...do you guys think it should
> be AWAY
> from the house? or, NEXT to the house? if we go next to the house,
> one set
> of the the guys will be in the front yard. Since I have more than
> ample room
> on this property for the tower and guying. If I set the tower away
> from the
> house how far should this be? and do I run the cables down a nearby
> guy wire
> or underground from base.?
>
> I am guying it 3 ways (120 degrees apart).
> One of my main concerns is the degree of guying the antenna down. I
> want to
> get away with going with 30 degrees. Should it be guyed at each 20'
> section
> or one near the top and one set at the second section? which is @
> 40'. I am
> going to be running 10 meters, I have a 8 element beam by Avanti
> (AV-140)
> some know it as a "Moonraker IV". (dimensions are 19' boom, from top
> to
> bottom each element is 20' has horiz. and vert. elements) this
> antenna has a
> wind load of only 5 sq.. ft. and weighs 24 pounds so with this
> factor, I
> want this thing to last through "super cell storms" with no
> problem.
> eventhough I live in a mild climate.
> I would like to guy with "poles" so one can walk around the pole
> rather than
> trip over ground level turnbuckles. Any comments?
> The prevailing winds are from the NW and there can be gusts of what
> I've
> seen in the past 11 years here of about 40 mph. So, would pointing
> or guying
> a tower directly into the prevailing winds benefit the load better
> or should
> I consider the placement of the guy wires first and formost in the
> landscape? what about running two guys off same eyelet at 60 degrees
> into
> the prevailing wind? or does this matter at all.?
> Also the issue of running a solid run of guy wires, is it truly
> necessary to
> break these up with insulators? I heard 22' to be the rule. I would
> think
> just run the guys solid all the way to the tower.
> I think the solid run of a guy is important and that I shouldn't
> worry
> about breaking them up for ''coupling or resonance" issues. I just
> was
> worried about the vertical elements getting too close to the top
> guys and
> that they are metal because, The worst part is at the top. this
> antenna has
> 9' vertical elements from the boom. if I guy at the top eyelet, the
> tower
> won't rotate. Is this solved by guying at 10' lower point on tower,
> or using
> a 10' section of mast putting antenna well above top plate? or how
> is it
> going to turn a vertical beam?
>
> I'll need to look into the anchors as well. What do you think about
> having
> them at ground level with big turnbuckles on them. OR getting a
> large
> diameter. pole as to be able to walk around the guys since they
> terminate
> 5-6' on to of the pole?Whatever type I decide on they will be
> cemented in.
> so I need to know what dimensions of a base pour these "anchors"
> should be.
> and about these "anchors" are the holes wide? or just deep?
> Guy wire cable size is of importance I think. should I look at 1/4 "
> ? or is
> that an over kill?
>
> . I need info on base pour dimensions, grounding, guy wire distance
> from
> tower, type of anchors/posts for guys, insulators on guys set for
> 10-11
> meters,(resonance/reflector issues) ANY and all suggestions will be
> appreciated, as I am just starting out. If you know of web sites or
> reading
> material for this, please help,
>
> As I will need to climb the tower (at lowest setting) to add the
> antenna, or
> will have to hire a truck.
>
> Thank you all for any feedback concerning this achievement, For the
> "hoisting" of this construction , I will offer folks around here "
> an
> erection party". hehe
>
> 73s
> Dave H.
>
>
> --
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>
Vy 73, de Joe AA4NN
Eastern Top Band ARC, Carolina DX Assn, Carolina CW Ops,
Fairfield County Contesters, Ten-Tec only, CW only.
eeetet ee
--
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