[TowerTalk] Wooden tower

Dave Hough dlhough at citlink.net
Wed Feb 25 15:52:39 EST 2004


After my discharge from the Army I used to drive cab at night
while going to the Univ. of Minnesota. Mpls. was Don's stomping
grounds in the late 20's and 30's. Often picked up and dropped
off fares where he lived and worked. Of course knew nothing of
Don at the time but it was fun being able to relate to this part
of book when I read it 2 years ago.

Seem to recall Don also built at least 1 latticework structure in
addition to the utility poles.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Greer" <davidgreer73 at yahoo.com>
To: "Dave Hough" <w7gk at qsl.net>
Cc: "Towertalk" <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 25 February, 2004 13:25
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Wooden tower


|
| I have that book, the Don Wallace biography, written
| by N6AW. Don's 140-foot high wooden masts for his
| rhombics  were wooden utility poles. He would take two
| 70-foot poles and splice them together with four-foot
| long pieces of angle iron 2-inches stick -- one bolted
| on each side of the pole. Don often climbed the poles
| himself to do maintenance. N6AW's book is wonderful
| reading about amateur radio and the very history of
| radio technology itself. It's a big coffee-table sized
| book with many, many photos and was pricey new but if
| you ever get hold of a used copy, don't let go. I
| treasure mine -- besides I got a new copy for half
| price ($30) a few years ago at Dayton. I think it's
| the best book on amateur radio ever written but it's
| definitely written for hams and not the general public
| because it's full of ham jargon, etc. But still a
| wonderful book.
|
| 73, Dave, N4KZ
|
|
| --- Dave Hough <dlhough at citlink.net> wrote:
| >  If you ever get a chance to read the biography
| > about Don
| > Wallace,
| >  W6AM, you'll see in a number of photos Don's use of
| > wood to
| >  construct antenna support structures. There are
| > even photos of
| >  Don climbing them.
| >
| >  Dave, W7GK
| >  Elko, NV
| >
| >
| > | ----- Original Message ----- 
| > | From: <ersmar at comcast.net>
| > | To: "Jack" <K4WSB at arrl.net>
| > | Cc: <towertalk at contesting.com>; "DeVinneys"
| > <devinney at vtc.net>
| > | Sent: Wednesday, 25 February, 2004 11:50
| > | Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Wooden tower
| > |
| > |
| > | | TT:
| > | |
| > | |      At the age of 13, too, I used the same 2x4
| > mast, set in
| > | about a half-cuft of concrete (I said I was
| > 13!)and guyed to
| > the
| > | back yard fence.  A half-inch carriage bolt served
| > as a pivot
| > for
| > | lowering the thing for antenna servicing - usually
| > putting the
| > | hoisting lines back onto the pulleys.  It also
| > supported my
| > first
| > | dipole array - a spider web of 80/40/20M dipoles
| > fed off one
| > | feedline.  The far end of the 80M wires draped
| > over the roof of
| > | my parents' two-story frame house.  The wires
| > literally rested
| > on
| > | the shingles!
| > | |
| > | |      Point is that these lumber-based antenna
| > supports work
| > | when properly constructed.  Keep in mind the early
| > antenna
| > | support towers were made from wood - Marconi's and
| > Armstrong's
| > | structures are first to come to mind.
| > | |
| > | | 73 de
| > | | Gene Smar  AD3F
| > | | > In 1959 when I was innocent and a new ham (13
| > years old and
| > | broke), I
| > | | > constructed the mast that was in the handbook.
| >  Made out of
| > | 2x4's and
| > | | > carriage bolts.  I used it for one end of a
| > dipole.  Worked
| > | good and I
| > | | > still have a picture of it.  If memory serves
| > me, my
| > neighbor
| > | (now K5RC)
| > | | > also used it as a support for his dipole.
| > | | >
| > | | > At 05:34 PM 2/24/04 -0700, DeVinneys wrote:
| > | | > >I remember an ARRL antenna book about 30
| > years ago had
| > plans
| > | for a wooden
| > | | > >tower made out of 1X2's. I never tried it
| > because the
| > 1X2's
| > | we get in AZ and
| > | | > >NM would make it look like a corkscrew. Think
| > I'll wait a
| > | few years on the
| > | | > >poly tower to see how it holds up to
| > sunlight!KA5W
| > | | >
| > | | > Jack Hartley
| > | | > K4WSB
| > | | > ARRL - QCWA - OOTC
| > | | > DXCC Honor Roll
| > | | > http://www.ultimatehat.com
| > | | > 10% discount to fellow Hams
| > | | > Put your call on the order
| > | | >
| > | | >
| > _______________________________________________
| > | | >
| > | | > See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self
| > Supporting
| > Towers",
| > | "Wireless Weather
| > | | > Stations", and lot's more.  Call Toll Free,
| > 1-800-333-9041
| > | with any questions
| > | | > and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
| > | | >
| > | | >
| > _______________________________________________
| > | | > TowerTalk mailing list
| > | | > TowerTalk at contesting.com
| > | | >
| >
| http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
| > | | _______________________________________________
| > | |
| > | | See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self
| > Supporting Towers",
| > | "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call
| > Toll Free,
| > | 1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for
| > Sherman, W2FLA.
| > | |
| > | | _______________________________________________
| > | | TowerTalk mailing list
| > | | TowerTalk at contesting.com
| > | |
| >
| http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
| > | |
| > | |
| > |
| >
| >
| > _______________________________________________
| >
| > See: http://www.mscomputer.com  for "Self Supporting
| > Towers", "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's
| > more.  Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any
| > questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
| >
| > _______________________________________________
| > TowerTalk mailing list
| > TowerTalk at contesting.com
| >
| http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
|
|
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