[Towertalk] Re: Tower Comparisons

[Ford Peterson]

From: "Michael Keane, K1MK"
>
> Check you county basic wind speed at K7LXC's web site
> (http://www.championradio.com) under Tech Notes. That's the wind speed you
> should use as your standard of reference.
>

Thanks for the input.  I did check it out.  My county's wind speed is 80
MPH.  I've been here 6 years now and I've seen that in gusts at least twice.
In the first event, I watched out the back door as a camper slid sideways
about 20' across my back yard.  During the recent event, the soil was
viscous (very wet as the frost had just let go).  The first time I saw huge
winds the tower was invisible because the loamy soil was dry.  The second,
well, I've got pictures... Rain turns my loamy soil into Jello!  Lesson?
Plan for the soil to be Jello....

> Words of wisdom for a tower owner wanna-bee?
> Welcome to the deep end of the pool... here be dragons. :-o

In my case, the dragons won.  And, they be deadly...  Estimated damage so
far?  Estimates = $22,472.  Rohn 68' tiltover with a tribander, some
dipoles, a 2mtr beam and lots of guys--all laying on the roof of the
shack--all twisted like pretzles.  There are holes in the roof a coffee can
would fall through.  And, the NWS is expecting rain tonight.  I wonder why
I'm up at 1:19AM?  The insurance company wants to settle ASAP.  I wonder
why?  Thanks for the input.

Ford-N0FP
ford@cmgate.com