[TowerTalk] Homebrew towers and liability

[Jerry Keller]

Tom  N4KG wrote:
"You sound DANGEROUS to me,
not to mention to yourself and your community."

and Steve, K7LXC, wrote:
"Okay, so you're a typical cheap ham. It's just a BAD IDEA, okay?"

Man, you guys are tough! Remind me the next time I have some curiousity
about something, or a desire to check out the feasibility of some idea that
pops into my head, NOT to bring it here. While I appreciate the information
and the opinions, I don't see the value of the namecalling. Does checking
out alternatives and asking a few questions make me "dangerous" or "nuts"?
Does not having a huge budget for ham gear make me "cheap"? I don't mean to
get on a rant, but have a little patience and a little common courtesy,
gentlemen.

Having gotten that off my chest, back to the subject....Here's what I think
I've learned so far about the feasibility of homebrewing a tower:

(1) a homebrew tower would probably not be as strong or as safe as a
commercially designed and built tower of equal height, and plenty of room
should be provided in case of tower failure.
(2) homebrewing may not be cost-effective when risk of physical damage and
liability insurance is considered.
(3) there is not much prior experience data available to learn from. Design
and materials info is hard to come by. There may be very good reasons for
this.... the whole world is probably not wrong.
(4) a building permit, if required, may be difficult or impossible to
obtain. Final engineering approvals likewise.
(5) A crowded urban or even suburban neighborhood with children may not be
the best place to homebrew. Large open areas or secluded wooded areas with
limited access might be better.
(6) homebrew is probably best limited to well-guyed, smaller towers, e.g. 30
or 40 feet max., and very conservative loads.
(7) for low-budget concerns, "getting louder" using wire antenna
alternatives may be a better overall choice than tower homebrewing.

Thanks to everyone that offered information. As far as I'm concerned, we're
done here, and it's time to move to some other subjects. At least that's my
opinion.... I could be wrong.

Cheers!!!  Jerry K3MGT




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