[TowerTalk] Tower foundation and bedrock

[john at kk9a.com]

Adding guys to a self supporting (not crank-up) tower comes up every now and
then on towertalk. I do not have an engineering background however I also do
not see the harm if properly done. Adding just a single guy set to the top
of the tower would not be properly done, in my opinion. The lower sections
of a self supporting tower are probably heavier and stronger than a guyed
tower.  

John KK9A

Steve k7lxc wrote: 

    I don't have a problem with guying a self-supporting tower IF the guys
have very little tension on them (less than 40 or so pounds). Tower strength
comes from the legs - the more tension you put on the guy wires, the more
compression you put on the legs thus decreasing the capacity of the legs to
support the tower. With a small amount of tension, you're not trying to hold
up the tower - just restrain it from wind forces. With little or no tension,
you could be subject to wind slamming - a violent and potentially fatal
condition.

>  I don't know where this misnomer comes from that a self-supported should
be weaker if you added guy wires. Maybe somebody can tell me. I understand
if the guy wires have a very steep angle the load on the tower will increase
but that is not the case with mine.
    It's not weaker - it just has potentially less capacity.

Cheers,Steve     K7LXCTOWER TECH -Professional tower services for amateur
and commercial