[TowerTalk] new AN-Wireless tower, floundaion question

[K7LXC at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/30/2006 7:43:32 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
towertalk-request at contesting.com writes:

>  As mentioned previously I am stick-building (like a giant  erector set) a 
new
AN-Wireless HD-80.  I will be posting photos  at:
http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a317/k0hps/Tower%20Project/
if  anyone cares to watch it go up and the antenna stack go on it.  We  just
started digging the foundation yesterday.  It's a pad and pier  foundation
(like an inverted tee) with a 9'x9'x1.5' pad and a 5'x5'x3.5'  pier.

>  Has anyone on here ever dug one of these by digging  the 5'x5' hole first 
and
then undercutting the bottom to create the  pad?  If so, I'd sure appreciate
hearing how you did the digging for  the undercut.  We got the 5'x5' hole no
problem but our experiments  (so far) with the undercutting haven't been very
successful.  We are  in clay soil, fortunately with no rocks.  If things
don't go better  today we will probably dig out the entire 9'x9' hole, pour
the pad, form  the pier and backfill around it.


        IMHO the tower base designs  that utilize some sort of 
undercutting/belled out at the bottom are stupid  and potentially dangerous. In some designs 
the base is 6-9 feet deep and being  that far down to hand dig the 
undercutting is illegal under OSHA rules and  dangerous in any case. 
 
        I know there's an  engineering reason for it but it was designed by 
an engineer in an  air-conditioned office who never has to be out in the field 
to install one. My  suggestion would be to skip the undercutting and 
compensate by making the  hole a little bigger. It's easier and safer too!
 
Cheers,
Steve    K7LXC
TOWER TECH -
Professional tower services for hams
Cell: 206-890-4188