[TowerTalk] Telephone Pole Antenna Supports.

[K7GCO@aol.com]

.   These are 2 great responses to my post on the under used and under rated 
telephone pole for an Antenna Support.  Although there has been one report on 
TT in a hurricane of one snapping, I know of no other.  What metal tower 
would be still up under the same wind?  I'd like to hear more about Telephone 
Pole Antenna Supports.
    It was my intent to have 2 Inverted Vees or 4 slopers on each one 
doubling as protective guys if and when the big one blew.  Guyed poles are 
virtually immune to the big ones.  It's so nice not to have to work around 
guys when installing a beam.  They will be used on Rhomibics also.  Remember 
it's self supporting, doesn't rust, no concrete and cheaper than metal.  
    WZeroOEV in Denver had a 100' pole, a 2 wire tract with an 8' carriage 
for the rotator and mast.  It was up for over 50 years with a 20M beam.  He 
could drop it to the ground in 20 second with the Pony Brake on the pulley.  
This is a great system I've not seen repeated and I plan to.  Others have had 
tracts on self supporting towers.      
    Poles have been spliced for antenna supports by some Big Guns and I would 
double the braces. They are shorter back in SD.  For a permanent mount, side 
type hardware would have to be used and perhaps fabricated.  I have a lathe 
and a mill.  I think it's a great system and I know of many.  I will have 
several of them far enough from my house in case a pole snapped somehow.
 K7GCO@aol.com wrote:
 >    There has been all kinds of hints on TT how to handle all the tower
 > problems.  Self supporting towers also take a lot of expensive concrete in
 > the ground.  I have seen very little on all the advantages on the best
 > antenna support of all--The Telephone Pole.  I've never heard of one 
failing.
 > Step spikes screw in for easy climb.  No concrete and a relatively simple
 > installation.  No guy wires.  I'm looking into getting used ones back in 
SD.
 > I want to work out a technique to splice them as they aren't very high back
 > there.  Does anyone have pricing information on them new or used?
 > k7gco
 Reply by  hankarn@pacbell.net (Dan)
 To: K7GCO@aol.com, calav@flash.net (Ken Hirschberg)
    Well Guys, if you had a pole installed here in LA it would probably cost
 more than a gold plated tower. The public utility here would take 2 or 3
 days and would use maybe 15 or so men.
    Truck & trailer to deliver the pole Driver and swamper. Pick up truck
 and gang boss, air conditioned car for big boss, truck with auger to dig
 hole, driver and 2 swampers, plus another boss crew, then along comes
 the pole setting truck with its crew, plus boss crew, service/dump truck
 to haul away the dirt, pick up with 2 or 3 men to help set the pole and
 tamp it. This is close to the end of 2nd day and the big boss comes back
 and they all have a break while all of the bosses and sub bosses have a
 long chat. Then you have to have the pick up with the porta potty along
 with a guy to make sure it meets OSHA Standards for being clean and
 properly parked with reference to the environmental observer. All of
 this does not include the additional crew that has rig the tower, a
 repeat of the group above all with a different title. No consideration
 for the chat period in the yard going and coming, plus all stopping at
 the local burger King or Mac for coffee on way to job, then a long chat
 about why they are there, waiting for the sub boss to get to the job
 site.
    Then you have a lot the people in the office and work yard for support
 to order the job, issue all of the paper work plus the purchasing dept.
 with all of the approvals, then of course you have the ones that
 requested the pole in the first place.
     Estimated cost for pole say $2,000.00 then labor and overhead lets be 
real conservative and say $25,000.00.  PLus you as an ordinary citizen must 
still get
the, engineering report, permit and inspection.  A commercial crew maybe 4 
men and about 5 or 6 hours to set the pole and rig it. About $1000.00 plus 
the pole.
  Hank
  >> RIGHT ON. UNION LABOR.
KM1R reply's:
    Was on a pole crew for a L O N G time... A New Class 2 pole 60-75 ft
 last time I checked cost around $2K in New England. a 35-50 pole came in
 at around $400 (also New England). Things to remember:
 USED POLES: they were pulled OUT for a reason. Do you want to live with
 the reason they were removed from service LESS severe than an antenna
 mast??
  LIABILITY: Many utilities today wont let their used poles out to the
 public due to liability. We used to give them away and even set them
 for people.  I hear most utilities will do neither these days.
 LOADING: ALL utility poles in their normal use are guyed. Even the
 35 footers.  How??  They have cables strung between poles (a guy) or a
 corner guy or dead man guy at special points. (corners, curves, etc).
 A pole (especially a tall one) is indeed great for wire antennas, hey,
 four 90 footers would do you fine for a rhombic, and would outlast both
 of us!! But I would never place any thing but a wire antenna on one. 
 Mounting a rotor for a beam is a situation where you make a mechanically 
 "interesting" mount for the rotor and thrust bearing which you WILL
 need.  When using through bolts, one cannot just bore a hole through the
 pole, the bore MUST go across the grain and face off on the "gain" side
 (oops... SNET jargon). otherwise the pole could split at top. Same with
 the 5/8 bores for the step bolts.
  INTSTALLING: Our rule of thumb in NE was 10% plus 1-2 feet( a bit more
 if soil was poor/sandy... or had an unusually heavy load. The engineers
 would determine the amount in the hole, amount above the hold and order
 accordingly.
  SPLICING POLES: This is done, but rarely today. Contact a retired
 utility pole crew guy. (ask any utility worker for a lead here). The
 retired guy could give you a world of ideas and experiences on this.
 A spliced pole is ALWAYS guyed... otherwise... well, you know! Most
 spliced poles (in NE again) were not bolted, but banded together and
 guyed. Don't think I ever saw more than one or two of them... instead
 just used a taller stick.
     Like I said before the biggest thing to wonder with a used pole is the
 reason why it was removed.
     In these days when utilities are no longer utilities but rather profit
 oriented conglomerates ... pole expenses are a craw in their side.  When
 a pole is pulled ... you KNOW it had little or no life left.  Judge 
accordingly!!
 BENEFITS: The xyl approval factor is usually high. Neighbor approval also 
 rather high they do look nice, and natural.  Somehow wire antennas look at 
 home on a pole. Wire antennas might even work better without tower steel 
 no concrete expense.  aaah that nice warm smell of creosote in the summer!!
 For me?  I have six poles (45 ft & guyed) holding up wires.
          My Telex LP-1007 log periodic??  on ROHN SSV!
     If you want to go the pole route... definitely talk to guys on the
 utility pole crews... they can fill you in on things like obtaining a
 new one, getting it set, local considerations (soil, winds, etc). There
 might even be a ham in the crew!!! Also, check local saw mills/logging
 companies... they usually know of a pole supply company within
 reasonable distance...
     Good luck, wear blue jeans, long sleeve shirt, and a belt when on the
 stick, don't load up the things with big antennas, and be careful.
 Have fun and of course... 73!
 Mike KM1R / HS0ZAI
 GREAT REPORT.
 
  >>

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