[TowerTalk] utility poles for antenna supports

[Cal Zethmayr]

interesting to see this topic come up.   Our club NOARC,  North Okaloosa Amateur Radio Club is fortunate to have our Club Station in a volunteer Fire department secondary station house where recently I was able to get 5 utility poles from one of our local power companies. They were removed because of a highway expansion to 4 lanes.   4 of our poles are 45 feet and one is 50 feet.   The 50 footer has 8 ft in the ground 42 above ground.   The 45 footers have 5 feet in the ground.   The 45 footers are placed in a very large rectangle.  We have a cross arm at the top of each of these with pulleys at each end and ropes so we can pull up different wire antennas.  Right now we have a 160 meter doublet oriented towards the NW and a new G5RV 80 meter and up oriented towards the NE.   We also have a tribander, 6 mtr beam and a two meter beam that can be switched vertical or horizontal on a 30 ft rohn 25.  The tribander has a triplexer in the shack so we can run THREE RIGS at the same time, one on 20, one on 15 and the third on 10.  You can look at a lot of pix of our setup by going to the club website  w4aaz.org  then on the left under NEWS AND EVENTS click on NOARC Newsletter.  I send this out before each meeting or special event.  look at the June 4, 2014 edition.
scroll way down to see our POLE FARM out behind the fire station.

the pole with the angle iron at the top and with the durned lag bolts that I thought would work for climbing..is where we want to put a new beam.

We have one benefactor that was AF MARS in Viet Nam, then worked in the Pentagon before retiring who wants to GIVE US a brand new Log Periodic beam.   IT'S BIG and HEAVY.      And another long ago club President, also AF retired has offered to give us an almost new HDR300 Rotor and digital control for it.

HERE IS THE CHALLENGE...  getting all of that up to the 42 foot level at the top of the pole!!

We are talking about building a custom hazer that would either ride up some pipe rails, or be a triangle or box..(heavy duty steel of course) that would be winched up and down when needed.  We are 25 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico!!!   it's been 10 years since IVAN hit here, Katrina was heading directly at us on a Friday night, but she heard that New Orleans was party city and went there instead on Saturday!.

Seriously.. as one of our project committee members said this past Sunday... "It's one thing to get a puppy for a gift.. and something else after that!"

I'd like to hear from any one that has put up a big LP beam.. and or used a utility pole for a beam support..... 
OR used a HAZER...

Thanks..   lets see what kind of discussion this starts up.

Cal Z
W4GMH
Activities Director
NOARC