[TowerTalk] Help with PE certification of tower in NJ

[Hank Lonberg]

Bob:

First off I am a licensed P.E. in New Jersey among other
states. 

The IBC 2000 or even 2003 does not mention that a tower that
is 30' or less above a roof is ok. It does not mention
towers in any prescriptive design configuration. It does
propose procedures to determine environmental loadings on
tower structures and even references the TIA/EIA 222-F as a
recognized national standard for antenna bearing tower
design.

I am not sure if I understand your installation.
Does it have a concrete base?
Is it both guyed and bracketed to your house?

What does the township require for you to get a permit? 
Sealed engineering calculations and plans or just sealed
calculations?

There is a later revision of the IBC. The most recent
published is the IBC 2003 and I believe that NJ has adopted
that as the latest building code.

Your tower installation is more than enough for the 5.5
square feet of antenna load.

Regards
Lonberg Design Group, Ltd.

Hank Lonberg, P.E.,S.E. / KR7X


-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bob
A. Booey
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 3:58 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] Help with PE certification of tower in
NJ

Hello Tower Gurus,

I have installed a 55 foot Rohn 25 antenna tower on my
property, secured to the side of the house under the eve
with a HBUTVRO (HD house bracket) at 21 feet and guyed with
Phillystran HPTG2100I (2100 lb.) at 50 or so feet.  Two guys
are secured with 3000 lb. screw anchors out 45 feet (like
the Rohn GAS604 but rated a little higher) and the third
goes into an eye anchor (like the GAW 25) in the house roof
through two sistered roof joists.

The problem is that the township (Brick) got after me for
permits after I had put the tower up (but before I put the
antenna up).  After a (long) time of them trying to figure
out what was needed, they asked me to file for permits,
which I did.  They said that if the base wasn't a footing
(i.e. another bracket with cantilever), that I would not
have had to get permits.  the tower top is less than 20 feet
above the peak of the house roof.  Anyway, I supplied all
the pertinent Rohn design information on the guying details
(110 MPH zone, about 10 min from ocean), concrete base,
antenna wind load (ATB-34, 5.5 sq. ft.), etc...

After a bunch more time they came back and said I need to
have the design and installation certified by a licensed PE.
I consulted a friend who once had a tower in Wall, NJ.  He
concurred on the PE thing but thought that there was
something in the International Building Code allowing towers
attached to a house to be up to 30 feet above the peak of
the roof (without PE certification?)

So, I am writing this to ask:

- The advice of anyone in NJ who has erected a tower and
what is required (If a PE cert., a recommendation would be
great)

- Any critique of the design as I have described it.

- Any advice about the year 2000 IBC (what Brick cited) as
it pertains to a tower attached to the house but with a
concrete base.

Thanks in advance and 73,

Bob, WA2T

_______________________________________________

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Towers", "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more.  Call
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