[TowerTalk] Fwd: Heights Towers Aluminum??

Thu Aug 14 17:14:58 EDT 2008

Hi Frank,

I believe that indicate your nearby ham already exceeded the weight  limit on 
his tower. You should have some extra marginal (read: safety factors)  
whenever you build a tower (or anything else for that matter). I would state  that 
if it already collapsed when he was tilting it up , it would have collapsed  
sooner or later, if nothing else probably when he tilted it back later to do  
whatever. 

73 de Hans N2JFS

____________________________________
 From: donovanf at starpower.net
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Sent:  8/14/2008 10:12:12 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Re: [TowerTalk] Heights  Towers Aluminum??

Don't forget that you must comply with the dead weight  capacity of your 
tilt-over tower.  This is important, a nearby ham failed  to comply with the dead 
weight specification and his Heights fold-over tower  collapsed as he tilted 
it up.  His mistake?  He forgot to count the  weight of his Heliax feedlines!

Everything you add to your tower must  be counted against the dead weight 
specification, including all cables, masts,  rotators and other accessories.  
Give serious consideration to using an  aluminum mast and light weight antennas, 
feedlines and control  cables.

Its especially important to minimize every pound of weight  above the top of 
the tower (i.e., mast and antennas and feedlines).   Every pound above the top 
of the tower adds very significantly to the moment  on the lower tower 
sections and the tilting  base.

73
Frank
W3LPL

---- Original message  ----
>Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 5:11:25 -0700
>From: Dennis  <radioart at charter.net>  
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Heights  Towers Aluminum??  
>To: W3OA <w3oa at roadrunner.com>,  towertalk at contesting.com
>
>Thanks for taking the time to respond  Dick.
>
>Very good input on some of the issues I would be faced  with.   How do you 
rotate the antenna at 40' or is it  stationaly?  Isn't there some kind of ring 
assembly for rotating antennas  on the sides of towers?
>
>Thanks Dick, Dennis,  k0eoo
>
>
>---- W3OA <w3oa at roadrunner.com> wrote:  
>> Hi Dennis -
>> 
>> I have a 60' Heights tower  with a fold-over kit and 10 feet of mast out 
>> the top.
>>  
>> It's been up for 5 years now and I'm very happy with  it.
>> 
>> You do need to watch how big an antenna you put  on it.  If the antenna 
>> is too large you won't be able to  lower the tower far enough to work on 
>> most of the antenna from  the ground.  I suppose that's obvious but it's 
>> a trade I  thought about for a long time before I decide to get a 
>> fold-over  tower.  I ended up with two Force 12 C-4s, one at 40 feet and  
>> one at 70 feet.  I can reach the feed points using an 8 foot  step ladder.
>> 
>> Another gotcha I found out through  experience is that rotor brakes that 
>> hold an antenna just fine  when the tower is up may not hold the antenna 
>> in position as the  tower rotates down.  The antenna, of course, wants to 
>> rotate  so its heavy end is pointed down and the break may not hold it in 
>>  any other position.  This can be an even bigger problem with side  
>> mounted antennas.
>> 
>> I'd do it again 'cause  I don't want to climb a tower.
>> 
>> Good Luck - Dick,  W3OA
>> 
>> Message: 6
>> Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2008  20:46:23 -0500
>> From: "Dennis Petrich"  <radioart at charter.net>
>> Subject: [TowerTalk] Heights Towers  Aluminum??
>> To: <towertalk at contesting.com>
>>  Message-ID: <A577548AEF344F668DEB831F901180B9 at D5V7GZF1>
>>  Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>>  reply-type=original
>> 
>> Hello all who have  aluminum towers.
>> 
>> I am thinking of putting up the  tilt-over self supporting aluminum tower 
>> from Heights  Towers.  This one is 69' with the tilt-over kit and is rated 
at  
>> 21sq' at 80mph. and will take a 12' mast.  I will be putting  up 15sq' of 
>> antenna.
>> 
>> Anyone of you have  experence with such a thing??  The whole tower tilts 
over 
>> so  you can work on the antenna from the ground, an idea I like very much. 

>> You can see it on their web page. 
>>  http://www.heightstowers.com/fold_over_kits.htm
>> 
>>  Thanks in advance for your comments
>> 
>> Dennis, k0eoo  
>> 
>> >   
>> 
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>>  
>> 
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