[TowerTalk] Temporary Guy Anchors

[K8RI on Tower talk]

There are too many, "It all depends" to do this from a distance, but 
normally 20 or 30 feet of tower doesn't take a lot of guying unless you have 
some strong winds. Mountain top may well qualify you for some pretty strong 
winds.

If you calculate out the load for a 20 foot tower with a tri-bander on top 
the loads are not all that great.

This is not a recomendation!  <:-))

Years ago, out here in the flat lands of central Michigan I ran several 40 
foot towers with dirt bases (the one with the flat plates on the sides) and 
used heavy duty 8' steel fence posts driven in at 90 degrees to the guy wire 
for anchors. Dirt base and steel posts in dirt (clay) for the guy anchors. 
Although I go for well engineered installations now days, I would still use 
such an installation for a temporary set up.  That is if it can't fall on 
anything, or any one important, or expensive.  Mine were up for something 
like 15 years at that location and they were still in good shape when I took 
them down.

>I have a new QTH.  I'd like to put up 20 or 30 feet of
> heavy duty TV mast or Rohn 25 in a temporary
> configuration until I get through the year of zoning
> related issues for the big towers.
>
> The location is on 10 acres on top of a mountain.
> Space is not an issue.  Soil is clay with lots of
> rocks.  I am looking for some sort of heavy duty tent
> stakes or equivalent that can be driven into the

Go to a farm supply store and check out the heavy duty steel fence posts. 
They probably won't cost any more than tent stakes. <:-)) They also have a 
flat plate (small) welded on one face about 18 inches from the bottom. As I 
recall they come in 5 and 8 foot lengths.

> ground to act as guy wire anchors.  Another
> possibility is to fill some livestock feed tubs with
> concrete and makeshift anchors.  Whatever I do, it has
> to be temporary and last about a year.  Guys will be
> either UV resistent rope or light weight wire rope.

3/16" wire galvanized wire rope should be available at the same places as 
well as many hard ware stores and they should have the proper size cable 
clamps.

> Antenna will be TA-33JR with a HAM IV rotator.
>
> I'd appreciate any comments on the best way to create
> a temporary installation that will last a year or so.
>
> By the way, HFTA says the site will work pretty darn
> well with an antenna 20 feet above ground.

At that height you can get the smaller sizes of Phyllistran or Kevlar guy 
lines *relatively* cheap and it won't take a lot.

As the installation is temporary it comes with the risks of a temporary 
installation.  I may go down in the first good wind and it may outlast the 
buildings.  With anchors set in clay you will need to check them 
periodically as clay tends to be fluid.  You may find the anchors move a bit 
with time.

Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL 40 year Life Member)
N833R - World's oldest Debonair CD-2
www.rogerhalstead.com
.
>
> Bob
> W1RH/6
>
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