[TowerTalk] Fw: $$$ and contesting stations

[Gene Fuller]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gene Fuller" <w2lu at rochester.rr.com>
To: <Cqtestk4xs at aol.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 06, 2013 10:40 AM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] $$$ and contesting stations


> Bill -
> I agree 100%. As an old airline ad once read - "Getting there should be 
> half the fun"  !!
> There is plenty of good reference material available for those who are 
> willing to get their hands dirty and scrounging parts can be lots of fun 
> and lead to good contacts. e.g. - My 8 x 20 ft heavy duty tower sections 
> were $20 worth of "scrap" steel - just to "get it off the books", EHS and 
> anchors from local power company scrap yard, hard line is from the 
> building of a defunct communications company and my LP and amp were home 
> brew DYI projects. Just compete within your own framework.
> Gene / W2LU
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <Cqtestk4xs at aol.com>
> To: <TOWERTALK at contesting.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 06, 2013 9:23 AM
> Subject: [TowerTalk] $$$ and contesting stations
>
>
>> It's not always a matter of $$, although that does help.  I've  seen
>> presentations of $100,000 installations that were foolishly designed. 
>> I've seen
>> great stations designed on a shoestring out in the boonies.
>>
>> Many guys sacrifice living near "stuff" to get either lots of land  or to
>> be on a remote mountain top.  These same guys scrounge hardline, pick  up
>> hardware from estate sales and roll lots of their own hardware.
>>
>> A great contest station CAN cost hundreds of thousands, but through
>> sacrificing convenience and being a wise builder, it can be done much 
>> cheaper.
>>
>> Example 1:  I had to drive to a location about 250 miles from  my QTH,
>> wrestle around with piles of hardline tangled up with all kinds of BIG 
>> spools
>> laying over them to get some 7/8 hardline....1600 feet of it.   Cost: 
>> price
>> of the gas, my time, and a $100 donation to the guys  charity.
>>
>> Example 2:  I picked up 310 feet of Rohn  65, cost...$3900.  I had to 
>> make
>> four or five 130 mile roundtrips to  move it with a borrowed trailer and 
>> my
>> truck.  Total cost around $4200 and  my time.
>>
>> Example 3:  Half a dozen 1000 ft rolls of 1/4 and 5/16 inch  EHS from a
>> surplus place for less than 8 cents a foot.  Yes, I had to drive  pretty 
>> far to
>> get them, but I saved a bundle.
>>
>> I'm sure others on the list could come up with even better results  than
>> mine, but the point is you don't have to be rich to have a great
>> station...just resourceful and willing/able to spend some time searching 
>> for  great
>> deals.
>>
>> K4XS/KH7XS  Cheap ham...aren't most of us?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
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>