[TowerTalk] sched 80 mast now bad advice

[K7LXC at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/27/2010 3:18:50 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
towertalk-request at contesting.com writes:

>  I think that was W1FZJ and he said ..."if your antenna lasts  through
the winter, it wasn't big enough"... .



Whoever it was - it's a  really outdated and dangerous advice. 
 
        TowerTalkians - if your  antenna or tower ever comes down, 
something SERIOUS has happened and it has  exceeded the limits of the installation. 
This should be a RARE occurrence, if it  happens at all. You should be 
following the LXC Prime Directive to "DO what the  manufacturer says" and if you 
want to over-engineer your array, I won't object. 
 
        But PUH-lease build a safe,  reliable installation! While injuries 
are pretty rare when a tower crashes  (thank goodness), use good practices 
and the good advice available  here from knowledgeable TowerTalkians. And I 
understand there's even a book  out on tower construction which is probably a 
good addition to your library. 
 
        There's plenty enough of  old wive's tales and "that's the way I've 
always done it" in ham radio that  need to be put to rest. This is one of 
them. 
 
Cheers,
Steve     K7LXC