[TowerTalk] Experience with crank up towers....

[Grant Saviers]

I have used both the hoop and loop arms from KF7P.  Hoop = tied at each 
section and all coax off the ground when tower is collapsed. Loop = 
cable free runs and ends up on the ground.

On one HDX589 the hoops worked ok.  On the second HDX589 I could not 
make them work.  The cable bundle is 2 or 3 Buryflex or 9913F7, RG6, 
Cat5, rotator, and Steppir or Tornado control cable.  In both cases 
there was a lot of fiddling to get the cable lengths correct between the 
loops (5 section towers).  A slight hoop downside is more cable is 
needed since a slack loop is needed at each hoop with the tower fully 
extended.

Even with the working hoops I would never raise or lower a tower without 
continuous monitoring.  Working = not yet seen to snag.  On the other 
tower they snagged almost every time, which is a PITA to resolve 
depending on how they snag.  My cables are #33 taped together every 24" 
or so.  How they lay in the bundle seems to have some effect on the hoop 
results.  All individual cables were run without twist.

When I ordered the first sets, Chris had not yet produced hoop or loop 
arms for a 589 so I did the measurements and he fabricated them.  He 
later exchanged the hoops for loops for both towers and they have worked 
fine since then, 4 years ago.  Note that hoops want the arms to be 
straight so the suspended cables are offset the nesting width of the 
tower sections.  For loops, the support arms are bent or offset so loops 
are directly in line vertically and the cable runs free thru them.

The 589 base concrete is large enough that I can flake the cable bundle 
on top of it.  I use the "no twist" figure 8 flake 
http://www.animatedknots.com/fig8flake/  that is used for large hawsers, 
hoses, fiber optic cables, etc.  I'm always watching any tower as it 
comes up/down so need to be at the base anyway.   The "8 flake" uncoils 
freely on the way up without minimal supervision.  My practice is to 
keep the ground clear of brush and debris around the base.  Even if the 
cables end up on the ground I say, "so what, the first rain washes them 
off".

Chris is terrific to work with and makes very nice stuff.

Grant KZ1W


On 6/7/2017 6:44 AM, Clay Autery wrote:
> Well, I came here to ASK question, but as I have been advised, I now
> know that:
>
> 1) There are videos and pictures that show the arch arms work to create
> PRE-loop starts in the feed.  Pretty cool...  NOT OCD-friendly, but
> functional.
> 2) Chris at KF7P is willing to make me a set for the Tash tower I am
> planning to acquire.
> 3) The feedline does NOT have to end up on the ground.... and done
> properly, there is little chance of it fouling anywhere.
>
> 73,
>
> ______________________
> Clay Autery, KY5G
>
> On 6/7/2017 6:34 AM, Jim Thomson wrote:
>> Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2017 21:49:17 -0500
>> From: Clay Autery <cautery at montac.com>
>> To: "towertalk at contesting.com" <towertalk at contesting.com>
>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Experience with crank up towers....
>>
>> <Like that idea, but looks like they don't have the curved arms for the
>> <Tahjian towers...  just hoops.
>> <I like the idea of keeping the feed line off the ground...
>>
>> ______________________
>> <Clay Autery, KY5G
>>
>> ## so what is the procedure to tie the coax etc, up...at each arm?
>> I think the only way to do it would be to extend the tower to full height,
>> then climb up there, and tie off at each arm?  That or approximate 17 feet
>> of cable between arms...and hope you guessed right.
>>
>> ##  Even then, if the tower is partially extended, the coax will sag, and form its own
>> loop at each arm. Wind gets up, then blows the loops towards the tower, which then
>> could easily get hung up, when  retracting the tower.
>>
>> ##  UST makes no mention about tying off at each arm.   The only place coax is tied off
>> is on the top arm, the rest goes in and out of each lower arm.   With tower partially
>> extended, or lowered, it all ends up on the ground.
>>
>> Jim  VE7RF
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