[TowerTalk] antenna raising

[Gene Fuller]

If you anticipate needing to raise/lower big antennas a number of times over the years you might consider making a carriage/track system. Many years ago I put one together on my 100 foot tower that allowed me to raise/lower large antennas as a one man job. I built a short  (4 foot) tower section on which I mounted the rotator (prop pitch motor) and antenna (large LP) and for the track two really heavy duty (about 1/2") cables run between the ends of 4 foot long x 4" steel channel at the top and bottom of the tower.The top and bottom of the carriage each have a 4 foot x 2"  channel with holes in the ends that ride on the cables and nest into the  4" channel. The top 2" carriage channel bolts into the  4" channel at the top and a small pin on the bottom of the carriage locks into a hole on a piece of channel which is bolted onto the tower to help stabilize things  once the carriage is in place. A  winch cable runs from the carriage up across the top of the tower and back down to a heavy duty winch (with room for 100 feet of cable) at the base of the tower. Yes, this does require removing one set of guys at a time when raising/lowering. But, in my younger years, I could, by myself, lower, work on, and raise an antenna on a weekend. A significant project but over the years well worth the effort.

Gene / W2LU