[TowerTalk] Guy Anchor Safety was:Re: Screw Anchor Experience

[Jim Thomson]

Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:36:07 -0500
From: "K0DAN" <k0dan at comcast.net>
To: "Pete Smith N4ZR" <n4zr at contesting.com>,
<towertalk at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Guy Anchor Safety was:Re:  Screw Anchor
Experience

I am neither an M.E. nor a tower installer, however I worked 30+ years in 
the land mobile industry. My understanding is that multiple ground anchors 
are required by manufacturer specs (for very tall, or very heavily loaded 
towers), and/or for towers with large side-arms, microwave dishes, etc., 
which introduce big twisting forces on the tower. The use of "star braces" 
and multiple guy anchors are to accommodate these forces, not so much to 
provide redundancy. Some of the guys on this reflector who are in the biz 
can probably shed more light on this.

73
de
k0dan

##  I worked for the local telco for 34 years and saw the same thing.   Then toss in
severe ice loading + high winds  from mountain top sites, and you can see the problems
involved. 

##  For a typ ham tower, even if 6 x guy anchors were used, say  3 inner..and 3 outer, ANY 
failure of the 6 anchors  will still bring the tower down. 

##  I still  would not mess with typ anchor rods, even if the portion in contact with the dirt is coated
with roofing pitch.   6 to 10 inch OD tubing, embedded in a huge deep block of concrete, with the
tube filled with concrete  is not about to fall apart down the road.  Weld a steel plate to the bottom of the
tube, then add the rocket fins...then get the entire assy galvanized.  Add rebar to the hole of course..and
use 5000 psi concrete,   Crown the top of the concrete so water flows away from the steel tube. 

##  concrete weighs 4000 lbs per cubic yard, so you do the maths.   Screw in anchors are for  telephone
poles, and phone poles are already 6 feet  into the ground. 

Jim   VE7RF