[TowerTalk] Distributed tower loads

[Gary Johnson]

I did find one very useful reference on guyed towers with distributed loads (among other things), from K7NV: <http://k7nv.com/notebook/towerstudy/towerstudy1.html>
This is the level of "resolution" I'm interested in, for the purpose of what-if configurations. I should contact him regarding model setup; I work with several mechanical engineers that do structural analysis all the time, and have helped me with these kinds of simulations before. Anyway, it seems that this is as simple as it's going to get.  By the way, anyone know of any free or low-cost CAD models of common towers? 

When it comes to construction time, we will absolutely get a full analysis and sign-off by a P.E. and also installation by a pro. Way to much at risk here.

And thanks for all the new QTH advice. Good to know so many fellow hams around the country. I keep contacting clubs and individuals, just to get a feel for zoning issues in various places. I can confirm that it's fairly grim all over. (Maybe it's the curse of the ubiquitous cell towers.) It's going to be a long, careful search, that's for sure. 

Gary, WB9JPS