[TowerTalk] What a weekend!!!

[Ford Peterson]

About all I can do is sit at the window and worry.

My 80' tower (68' rohn tiltover with 20' mast sticking 12 feet out of the
thrust bearing) is standing in over a foot of water, which just melted.  The
wx today is like nothing I've ever seen... 60+mph sustained winds most of
the day.  Gusts must be much higher.

It looks like the tribander is holding up.  The 11el 2mtr beam at the top is
whipping around like a flag on a pole.  I faced the beam into the wind last
night in anticipation of today.  My guts keep telling me to turn it 90
degrees from the wind to reduce the wind load.  I've been told that it is
easier on the beam/tower turned out of the wind but can damage the rotor.
The rotor is an alliance of some sort--ham fest special went up two years
ago in a very big hurry to beat old man winter...

What's a fella to do?  Into the wind or out of the wind?

Ford-N0FP
ford@cmgate.com

Too bad 160 is lousy.  I'll bet the tower in  a swamp would be a killer on
160....




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