[TowerTalk] Sinking Tower, A Question

[Ford Peterson]

Kelly wrote...

>I don't mean to cast any aspersions here, it's just a >question that I
think is instructive to others. He said he >used the factory spec 2x2x3 base
but found the soil to be >quite soft.

>Is this an example of not adjusting the size of the base to >the condition
of the soil? Or is it unavoidable?


You make a very good point.  When I installed the base, it had been quite
dry all summer.  Even then, the soils were moist in the area I was digging
(yippie skippy at least it wasn't clay or rock)  Although I can tell the
difference between sand, rock, and clay, which are the three examples of
"poor" soils used in the documentation, I wouldn't know good soil from bad
soil.  I have little experience with "soils."  Frankly, had I known that the
area in question would flood during a wet spring, I may have done things
differently.

I am going to rig up some sort of fixture that will allow me to accurately
measure the footing next year.  Meanwhile, I'll just adjust the guys some
more.

I have received alot of good suggestions and appreciate.  My personal view
is that the installation may have been botched and needs to be redone.
Perhaps its time to just pull up stakes and move to a better QTH anyway.
"Oh Honey, have you seen the Sunday paper real estate ads?"

Thanks for all the help everybody.

Ford-N0FP
ford@cmgate.com




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