[TowerTalk] Tower regulations for home brew towers in the US?

[Roger (K8RI) on TT]

On 2/21/2014 5:24 AM, Markku Oksanen wrote:
> All
> Just because I am curious:
> Here at OH-land even large towers can be home brew just like my 160 and 145 foot rotating towers.These have been made by a private small company that made perhaps 200 towers through the years.Building permit and zoning never questioned the "engineering" of the towers as the responsibility in the end rests with the owner.In addition, home owner insurance happily includes towers and covers damage without question.

As others have said, there is no national standard "except" above 200 
feet it requires FAA permission and lighting. There are also height 
limitations based on being close to an airport.

I live just to the West of Midland MI in Homer Township.  They have no 
limitations on ham towers "except" for "set back"  IOW, if the tower 
falls it must fall on your property.  That is tower only. I had 30' of 
mast with a large array on it above the tower..
http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/Tower29.htm
The top of the tower just met the "set back".  They did not care what 
was on the top. I needed the height for exposure limits.  As I'm right 
on the centerline for the GPS 06 approach for Midland Barstow Airport 
(KIKW) the FAA  rules apply, but I'm a tad over 4 miles out and just 
inside the final approach fix (FAF). Sooo... I can go to about 190 feet. 
On my one square acre lot that would be impractical.

When they were rezoning, I maintained close contact with the committee 
with the result that they exempted regulations on Ham towers because of 
FAA and FCC regs were deemed sufficient. So here I can build my own 
tower, be it guyed, self supporting, or crank up/tilt over.

73

Roger (K8RI)

> How is the situation in the US?  Looks like most towers are commercial (Rohn, couple others) and it seems that a "professional engineer" (correct??) needs to look at the mechanics of the whole thing in order to get a permit to put up a tower.
> So, how, if at all, is it possible to build your own large towers?  Does anybody do this?
> The towers I have are 1.5 feet a side with 2 inch tubes, inverted U (0.7 inch) "cross bars".  Only guyed at two levels and full of aluminium, 8000 lb steel guy wires and ball bearing guy rings.  And they have survived some crazy storm too in the past 15 years.
> MarkkuOH2RA/OG2A/WW1C 		 	   		
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