[TowerTalk] re: tower base insulators

[Jon Zaimes AA1K]

I homebrewed an insulated base using three large ceramic insulators obtained for $20 from a local scrap yard. They likely came off some power company transformer. Each is about 6-8 inches diameter and about 8-10 inches long. One of them would have been sufficient to hold my 100-ft. Rohn 25 that is the 160-meter vertical, but I used three to spread the load out. (I tested a spare one, which had a crack in it, by driving my 4000-pound Jeep over it a few times, without damage.) The insulators are bolted to a Rohn flat base on the top side, and to another flat steel plate on the bottom -- which sits on a pier pin in the concrete base.

Here's a photo on my web site. It's the last photo on this page, click to enlarge:

http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7hjw3/id2.html

73/Jon AA1K