[TowerTalk] Making a self-supporting tower rotate

[NPAlex@aol.com]

Subject: Re:  Making a self-supporting tower rotate

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My big fear with a tower such as this is that instead of multiple weak links
(ring rotors), where perhaps one antenna bites it, you have one big weak
link that would make the whole assembly bite it. The other angle that is
perhaps not been explored either is the capacity of the tower to accept
additional loads along its length.

If I recall correctly, the Big Bertha tower worked because the entire tower
base was inserted into the bearings which were held down by lots of concrete
and because the design assumed from the start multiple antennas from top
down.
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If I were to contemplate building a rotating tower, I would definitely 
contact VK3MO.  When visiting Ian several years ago I was impressed by the 105ft (if 
memory serves) rotating tower that he built.  At the time he had stacked 
quads.  I am sure anyone that has been on twenty meters in the morning knows the 
signal that VK3MO puts out from down under.

I would think Ian could contribute considerable to the design and engineering 
of such a structure.

Regards,
Norm W4QN