[TowerTalk] Crank Up towers

[Steve Katz]

Might be able to hit them with the old, "But tomorrow my tower will be
extended again, and you'll still be ugly."

That usually wins 'em over.

-WB2WIK/6

-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly Johnson [mailto:n6kj.kelly at gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 3:48 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Crank Up towers


Lot's of cities require crankups for any tower over, let's say, 35 feet or
whatever.  They do this because *think* it is less visible.  The truth of
the matter is, as you say, that a retracted crankup is more visible and less
aesthetically pleasing for the owner and the nearby neighbors next door but
is less visible a few houses away.  I guess the cities would rather screw
the next door neighbors to avoid having complaints from the whole block.

It also depends on tree coverage.  A retracted crankup is less visible if
there is sufficient tree cover when it is retracted.  Unfortunately, this is
not the case in most suburban cities.


On 12/22/05, J. Edward (Ed) Muns <w0yk at msn.com> wrote:
>
> One comment that I hear consistently from owners of crank-up towers is
> that
> their spouses and neighbors find them much more objectionable when the
> tower
> is nested with the antennas closest to the ground.  Everything looks much
> larger and is more in one's view, compared to being fully extended and
> more
> out-of-sight.
>
> 73,
> Ed - W0YK
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
> > [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Kelly Johnson
> > Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2005 3:05 PM
> > To: Rick Tavan N6XI
> > Cc: towertalk at contesting.com
> > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Crank Up towers
> >
> >
> > I'm looking at putting in a tower and I've been leaning toward the
> crankup
> > for exactly the same reason: neighbor appeasement.  I'm sure my wife
> would
> > probably like it a bit more too, but she's supportive of my
> > "hobby" so she'd
> > be ok with something else.
> >
> > Why do you now think a crankup isn't necessary for "neighbor
> appeasement"?
> >
> > Would your opinion change if your tower was located at home in suburbia
> as
> > opposed to your 2nd home in the mountains where it is probably
> > less visible?
> >
> >
> >
> > On 12/22/05, Rick Tavan N6XI <rtavan at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > As a crankup owner and K7LXC customer, I agree with most of
> > your comments,
> > > Steve.
> > >
> > > I wouldn't characterize UST customer support as "good." A better
> > > description
> > > might be "reluctantly effective." I have had to argue with them
> several
> > > times to get support but they have always capitulated and done the
> right
> > > thing. I still can't get the damn control box to work
> > consistently but at
> > > least they explained how to open it up and override the flakey
> lockouts
> > > which fail temporarily at random intervals. This $10,000 monster works
> > > correctly about half the time.
> > >
> > > I bought the crankup solely for neighbor appeasement. Now that I know
> my
> > > wonderful neighbors even better than three years ago, if the
> > crankup ever
> > > gets destroyed I'll probably replace it with the guyed tower I really
> > > wanted
> > > all along.
> > >
> > > 73,
> > >
> > > /Rick N6XI
> > >
> > > On 12/22/05, K7LXC at aol.com <K7LXC at aol.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > In a message dated 12/17/2005 9:03:36 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
> > > > towertalk-request at contesting.com writes:
> > > >
> > > > >  Can I get some feed back from you guys on experience  with
> > > > Crank Up towers?
> > > >
> > > > ...
> > > >     Pros - I can't think of any.
> > > > ...
> > > >
> > > >     US Tower is the 800 pound gorilla. They make a  good product and
> > > offer
> > > > good customer support. There is an aluminum crank-up  out
> > there but it's
> > > > even
> > > > more expensive and is very fragile compared to a steel  tower.
> Tri-Ex
> > > > crank-ups
> > > > are being sold but I don't have anything good to say  about their
> > > customer
> > > > service.
> > > > ...
> > > >     Of course there are spouses that would prefer a  crank-up
> > and other
> > > > aesthetic reasons for buying one but the only reason I've
> > ever heard of
> > > > that truly
> > > > justifies one is N6RJ who convinced his neighbors it  would only be
> > > > extended
> > > > after dark.
> > > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > >
> > > 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.

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