[TowerTalk] US Tower MA-550 questions...

[n1bkb at aol.com]

 If you do buy one of these towers new or used from whatever source, it is critical that you also get the tilt-over raising/lowering fixture to go with it.  You absolutely need the winch assembly to go from horizontal to vertical with these pole towers!
Also, you mentioned power lines and small lot....  
If you're putting it into a limited space (as I did with my smaller version US Tower mounted on the rotator base), you'll need a minimum of between 25 and 30-feet away from the base to tilt it over and attach/work on the antenna.  For just that reason in my postage stamp sized back yard, even though I wanted to get what you are looking at, I HAD to go with the ALM-31 because between the in-ground pool, orange tree, stone planter, and the distance to the property line, there's just no room to work on whatever is mounted on top with the taller tower.

The US Tower documentation available on-line will give maximum loading weight and wind loading on each tower so you can select your antenna accordingly.  In my configuration, the Stepp-IR Urban Beam I've got on top comes in at just 5-lbs under the max permitted for my tower.

Then too, with the Santa Anna winds we occasionally get here in Southern CA, I've made it a habit of lowering the array if the winds are forecast to exceed 25 mph ... even though it's supposed to be certified to support everything at up to 50 mph.  Additionally, if you are buying new, an after-market, retro-fit, electric winch to raise and lower the array as a replacement for the standard hand-crank winch is a fraction of the cost of US Tower's electrified winch version.

Good luck with the project!

Steve, N1BKB
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Dawson <jdawson at jasystems.com>
To: TowerTalk at contesting.com
Sent: Mon, Aug 29, 2022 1:49 pm
Subject: [TowerTalk] US Tower MA-550 questions...

I'm looking at purchasing a used US Tower model MA-550 on an MARB-550 rotor base. I don't 
know anyone who has used one so I have questions: 
 
Will it handle a small tri-bander with a 40 meter element safely? I will limit 
it to 40-45 feet because of proximity to power lines.
 
I recently downsized from a 
120' Rohn 45 with stacked mono-banders thinking I was finished with ham radio. It took only a few months to realize I wasn't 
ready to give it up yet but I had already moved to a small house on a very 
small lot with no room for guys.
 
I'd appreciate any helpful comments or experience with this tower.
 
Thanks,
Jim - K9DD
 
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