[TowerTalk] Guyed self-supporters (was "Concrete suggestions")

[K3BU at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/17/03 10:18:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
n4zr at contesting.com writes:

> > K3BU:
>  >So you are saying that self supporting towers have "weaker legs" than 
guyed
>  >towers? Look around!
>  >Again, with guys, legs in the self supporting tower share the vertical 
load.
> 
>  >Yes there is some additional vertical component from the guy, but that is 
> way
>  >below what would break the legs.
>  
>  
>  I don't think it's possible to make such a blanket statement.  The only 
>  right answer would be "it depends."  The only thing you know for sure is 
>  that guying a self-supporting tower is putting forces on it that it is not 
>  designed for.  There may be plenty of margin, or there may not.
>  
 
That is the example of wrong blanket statement. Force induced by guy wires is 
fractional from the forces that self-supporting tower is experiencing when 
alone. Again there is no need to tension the guy wires as in properly 
designed guyed tower, some slack is preferred. 

Yuri, K3BU