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[Bob Otto]

Hello towertalk,

Just an update for evryone......

Thanks to all who wrote with suggestions and information on Tower
sources.  After much gnashing of teeth, I decided to stay with the
Heights Tower.  There are several reasons for this decision. First,
there is no other aluminum tower that comes close to the height/wind
load capabilities of the Heights Towers.  Second, I already own not
only the base and clevis hinges, but the rebar and sonitube for the
base.  That's another $750 invested in additional to the tower
equipment. Guess it will be 2001 before I'm back to chasing DX!  :-{

I did learn a couple of things that you all might be interested in.
First, most tower companies will no longer give you an engineering
stamp on the drawings for the concrete base.  This is because there is
so much liability, and because the requirements are different in every
state and sometimes even between municipalities within a state.  What
they do now is give you "recommendations" and if your building
inspection department requires a "wet stamp" (meaning a real engineers
signature), you have to hire a local one to review the design and
approve/sign it.  What this means is that the home owner/builder is at
risk if they; A) change the design any at all from the
"recommendation" from the tower company, and B) may be required to
obtain certification from a local engineer to pass inspection.  I know
many of you do not have this concern -- you don't get inspection for
your towers -- But in Cincinnati (and I suspect any large city), you
are required to get a building permit which means you get inspected.

Second, the topic of "effective vs projected" reared its ugly head
again.  I won't rehash this, but each of you who are considering
building new, or rebuilding tower/antenna projects better be sure you
know whether your antennas and tower are rated as "effective" or
Projected" wind load, or risk your installation and possibly damage to
your home.  This lesson became painfully clear as I looked at new
tower suppliers, specially when I considered steel towers.  Had it not
been for help from Natan at Force12, and Gerald at Texas Towers, I
could have gotten in a real jamb on my own tower/antenna site.  I
started to put together a set of rules to use to compare the two
measurements, but I'm told that Kurt Andres K7NV wrote a very
definitive letter on this and it is supposedly in the archives here.

Again, thanks to the many who sent advice, I really appreciated every
one of them -- even the "sympathy" E-Mails <G>

73's from....

Bob Otto
N8NGA@one.net
Cincinnati, Ohio

**********************************************
DXCC 10M         ** DX Is !! **        WAS 10M
       There is a very fine line between
          "HOBBY" and "MENTAL ILLNESS"
**********************************************
When trouble arises and things look really bad,
there is always one individual who perceives a
solution and is willing to take command.
      Very often this person is crazy!
**********************************************



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