[TowerTalk] My Tower cost

[Jim Lux]

At 07:56 PM 8/24/2004 +0000, kb9cry at comcast.net wrote:
>Tower cost will vary depending on the type of installation you're willing 
>to put up.  "Field day" style installations can be very inexpensive and 
>can actually last a good many years but if you're going to follow all the 
>manufacturer's recommendations and good tower engineering practices, then 
>it's not cheap.  Actually for my recent 120 ft. guyed Rohn 45, the tower 
>and antenna were the least costly of the total.  I didn't skimp on this 
>installation and am confident it will, Lord willing, last a good many 
>years with little worry.
>
>Finally, someone made a comment that I feel compelled to write 
>about.  Your local ordinances or county or whatever may not require a 
>tower permit but virtually all counties in the US require a permit 
>whenever you pour structural concrete.  And tower bases are structural 
>concrete.  Ask around on the Ham-Law reflector, but you may be sorry later 
>on if you don't inquire about that special requirement.  That's what I 
>ended up with and am glad I did, I didn't need a tower permit but indeed 
>needed a permit for the concrete so to speak.  Gd luck, Phil  KB9CRY

And, during a discussion at lunch today, the whole regulatory compliance 
aspect might make that "scrounged deal" not such a great deal.  If you are 
in an area where they want you to get a permit for the antenna (which would 
be many, many suburban locations these days), they might want a LOT more 
documentation and analysis for something scrounged and with uncertain 
provenance, than for a "brand new out of the box with manufacturer's recent 
paperwork".  You could wind up spending more in testing and engineering 
analysis than you'd spend on the new tower.

I also note, based on the responses over the past day (thank you all!) that 
it's all the incidentals that add to the cost. The tower itself might not 
be a big item (particularly if you're using a non telescoping, guyed or 
bracketed tower), but digging the hole, pouring the concrete, all the 
hardware, etc., really does add up.  Fortunately for those on limited 
budgets, a lot of these things are susceptible to time/money trades (dig 
the hole yourself (something I wouldn't wish on anyone), collect connectors 
and cable over a series of years, etc.)

Jim, W6RMK