[TowerTalk] Tashjain Towers LM470 Remote tower raising control

[John Langdon]

I was advised years ago by one of my trusted "Elmers" who had lots of experience with radio gear in the Navy that it is better to cut a window in your radio room than take a risk of an unexpected or uncontrolled motion of a tower.  I was also advised when I was in the wind turbine business (very briefly) that the most dangerous thing in the modern world is an electrical engineer controlling a high power mechanical system! 

73 John N5CQ


-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Lux, Jim
Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2022 1:44 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Tashjain Towers LM470 Remote tower raising control

On 7/17/22 11:19 AM, Bill Eisinger wrote:
> It shouldn’t be too hard to adapt it such that you could use a smart switch with an Alexa (or equivalent) hub...however you would need wifi or bluetooth access at the tower...

Or, some form of low voltage relays and a hardwire connection.

Or a WiFi connected relay controlled by a dedicated app, but I'd be a bit nervous about trusting a "safety sensitive" function to Alexa, without some serious interlocks or a fairly robust physical access control.   It's kind of like those ideas about automatically lowering the tower when the wind goes above a certain speed.  It's more complex than one thinks at first.

I've built a fair number of network controlled devices, some controlling big heavy things moving around (dish antennas, etc.) - It takes careful planning and design to make sure it "fails safe".   For this, since you've already got to have power wires and coax going out there, adding a few wires to control some relays seems a fairly simple and robust way.





>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Ted 
> Pauck K8NA
> Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2022 11:43 AM
> To: TowerTalk at contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Tashjain Towers LM470 Remote tower raising 
> control
>
> I recently purchased the Tashjain Towers LM470 Crank up tower. The tower comes with an electric motor control onboard for raising and lowering the tower, by a switch at the tower. I need to remote control the tower from in my radio room. There will be a camera to watch the tower raising and lowering. Tashjain does not sell a remote control for towers. Has anyone been able to remote control the LM470 or any of the other Tashjain towers?
>
> TU/73  ...   de  Ted  K8NA

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