[TowerTalk] antenna height vs hassle

[hdmc38 at bellsouth.net]

Bill 


        Rent a pump let the truck stay in the street.The best money I spent on my tower was to sub out the concrete.Start out with dirt,end uop with your short base all set to go.Have them clean up to.I'm not sure how far you need to go,but your yard will be wrecked when they do the pour.Cost me $1,000 to go from gras to short base ready to start.They halled out the fill,and came back to strip the forms.Just my $0.02.Good luck.I'd Have my wife call the Doc the day before for some pain meds!

                  Joe K4XZ
> 
> From: Bill Coleman <aa4lr at arrl.net>
> Date: 2004/08/22 Sun PM 07:00:27 EDT
> To: KI9A at aol.com
> CC: towertalk at contesting.com,  smc at w9smc.contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] antenna height vs hassle
> 
> 
> On Aug 15, 2004, at 6:27 PM, KI9A at aol.com wrote:
> 
> > I live on a small lot, can't really have
> > a guyed tower. I now have a roof tower with my 2 meter yagi at about 
> > 27', the
> > A3 tribander at 30' & a 6 meter yagi at 33'.
> 
> I had a similar situation at my old QTH - A3S at 35 feet, 2m boomer at 
> 43 feet.
> 
> > In order to put this 40' tower up, I would have to hire out the hole
> > (5'x5'x5'), then hand carry all of the concrete approx  120-150' 
> > across the grass, on
> > an uneven area (ugh).  No way to get the truck any closer.
> 
> Here's some alternatives. First, you don't necessarily have to use a 
> ready-mix truck. You could consider mixing the concrete yourself. If 
> you did this, you could rent a small mixer, and do two bags at a time. 
> (Note that it would take in excess of 100 bags, so I wouldn't recommend 
> this)
> 
> Second, you can rent a powered wheelbarrow to carry the concrete from 
> the curb to the hole. either that, or get about four good friends with 
> wheelbarrows to shuttle the concrete across the yard.
> 
> Third, if the hole is downhill from the road, you can rig up a trough 
> to the hole. Failing that, you can rent a pump truck to move the 
> concrete uphill.
> 
> > Bottom line is this...is the cost & hassle of this worth the potential 
> > gain?
> > If the tower was 60-80', I'd say of course, but, going from 30' to 
> > 45', I
> > dunno if there would be much improvement to be worth it. I'm beginning 
> > to think
> > not.
> 
> At my old QTH, I have the A3S at 35 feet. Today it is on a tower next 
> to the house at just under 50 feet. It certainly behaves differently, 
> especially on 20m. Further, I have much less RFI in the house.
> 
> 125 cubic feet of concrete seems like a huge hassle, but I've gotten 
> much more enjoyment out of my station since I have a (modestly) 
> improved station.
> 
> Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
> Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
>              -- Wilbur Wright, 1901
> 
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JOE PATRICK
SENIOR PLUMBING/MECHANICAL
INSPECTOR CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH