[TowerTalk] TowerTalk Digest, Vol 277, Issue 3

John Keating john.keating at outlook.com
Wed Jan 7 20:57:23 EST 2026 

Tony,

Call US Tower and ask Remi to run custom calculations for you. It's the 
safest way to go and they don't charge an exorbitant amount like "the 
other tower company."

73, John
K7LY


------ Original Message ------
>From towertalk-request at contesting.com
To towertalk at contesting.com
Date 1/7/2026 9:00:02 AM
Subject TowerTalk Digest, Vol 277, Issue 3

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>Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits (Steve Jones)
>    2. Re: US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits (Bruce Horn)
>    3. Re: US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits (Loyd richey)
>    4. Re: US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits (Steve Jones)
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Message: 1
>Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2026 15:53:53 -0800
>From: "Steve Jones" <n6sj at earthlink.net>
>To: "'Tony'" <73guddx at gmail.com>,	<TowerTalk at contesting.com>
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>Message-ID: <000701dc7f67$bab18f30$3014ad90$@earthlink.net>
>Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
>
>Tony,
>When I put up my UST HDX-589 I spoke with Remigio Fernandez, their
>structural engineer.  I put a SteppIR DB42 on top at 90 feet.  About 20+ sq
>feet of wind load.  Remigio said if the weather forecast is for 50 mph or
>higher gusts, lower the tower!  Otherwise it will be OK.  I have done this
>for about 13 years and it hasn't failed yet.
>Happy New Year es 73,
>Steve
>N6SJ
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Tony
>Sent: Monday, January 5, 2026 3:11 PM
>To: TowerTalk at contesting.com
>Subject: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>
>All:
>
>I plan on replacing my HF antenna with an Optibeam model 16-3 Yagi. It's an
>interlaced 4/4/8 element Yagi that covers 20/15/10 meters. The antenna
>weighs 130lbs with a 33 foot boom with a wind rating of 12.7 sq. ft at 75
>mph.
>
>I also plan on adding an additional 6M and 2 meter Yagi's above the HF Yagi
>on an 18-foot mast. The specs for the 6M / 2M antennas are 30lbs 30ft boom
>and 16lbs 21 ft boom. Windload is 5 and 2 sq.ft. at 75mph.
>
>The total weight in antennas comes to 176lbs with an estimated wind load of
>18 sq.ft.
>
>My tower is the HD555 heavy-duty model made by U.S. Tower. It has an antenna
>weight limit of 200 lbs and a wind rating of 23.4 sq.ft at 75mph. The
>rotator is the Yaesu 2800.
>
>This setup "should" be within the towers rated limits, but I wanted to run
>the numbers by the group since there's a lot of experienced folks on this
>reflector.
>
>Thanks, Tony -K2MO
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>TowerTalk mailing list
>TowerTalk at contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Message: 2
>Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2026 19:48:33 -0600 (CST)
>From: Bruce Horn <bhorn at hornucopia.com>
>To: towertalk <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>Message-ID:
>	<1016041403.504994708.1767750513664.JavaMail.zimbra at hornucopia.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
>Hi,
>
>I have a UST HDX-589 with a SteppIR DB36 at the top of a mast (potentially 105 ft level) and a Optibeam 16-3 side mounted at the 72 foot level. However, I know these antennas exceed the engineering ratings for the tower and therefore seldom crank the tower all the way up - the top antenna is kept at about the 70 foot level, which results in overlap of multiple tower sections. It's been up now for more than 30 years with various antenna configurations and the only failure I've had is a broken rotator, but I live in an area with relatively little wind.
>
>Some things to consider:
>
>1 - US Tower's engineering calcs show that it was calculated based on TIA-222F. This is an outdated standard. The move to TIA-222G resulted in significantly lower ratings for the same tower design. And now it appears the most recent standard is 222I.
>
>2 - the antenna windload specified by the manufacturer may have been calculated using a different standard than the tower. The OB 16-3 has a square cross-section boom and therefore has a greater windload than the same antenna would have with a round boom.
>
>3 - the calculated maximum tower load is for the entire load placed 1 foot above the top of the tower. When you use a mast to place antennas at higher levels, it derates the maximum wind load of the tower. You can't simply sum the wind loads of the antennas.
>
>4 - Tony, is your QTH in a windy area, or relatively calm area. On a ridge top? Do other nearby structures/trees offer a wind break? All of these factors influence to what degree you can live with professional engineering limitations vs. the typical ham "engineering."
>
>Good luck with your project. I like the OB 16-3 tribander.
>
>73 de Bruce, WA7BNM   (bhorn at hornucopia.com)
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Steve Jones" <n6sj at earthlink.net>
>To: "Tony" <73guddx at gmail.com>, "towertalk" <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
>Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 3:53:53 PM
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>
>Tony,
>When I put up my UST HDX-589 I spoke with Remigio Fernandez, their
>structural engineer.  I put a SteppIR DB42 on top at 90 feet.  About 20+ sq
>feet of wind load.  Remigio said if the weather forecast is for 50 mph or
>higher gusts, lower the tower!  Otherwise it will be OK.  I have done this
>for about 13 years and it hasn't failed yet.
>Happy New Year es 73,
>Steve
>N6SJ
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Tony
>Sent: Monday, January 5, 2026 3:11 PM
>To: TowerTalk at contesting.com
>Subject: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>
>All:
>
>I plan on replacing my HF antenna with an Optibeam model 16-3 Yagi. It's an
>interlaced 4/4/8 element Yagi that covers 20/15/10 meters. The antenna
>weighs 130lbs with a 33 foot boom with a wind rating of 12.7 sq. ft at 75
>mph.
>
>I also plan on adding an additional 6M and 2 meter Yagi's above the HF Yagi
>on an 18-foot mast. The specs for the 6M / 2M antennas are 30lbs 30ft boom
>and 16lbs 21 ft boom. Windload is 5 and 2 sq.ft. at 75mph.
>
>The total weight in antennas comes to 176lbs with an estimated wind load of
>18 sq.ft.
>
>My tower is the HD555 heavy-duty model made by U.S. Tower. It has an antenna
>weight limit of 200 lbs and a wind rating of 23.4 sq.ft at 75mph. The
>rotator is the Yaesu 2800.
>
>This setup "should" be within the towers rated limits, but I wanted to run
>the numbers by the group since there's a lot of experienced folks on this
>reflector.
>
>Thanks, Tony -K2MO
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>TowerTalk mailing list
>TowerTalk at contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>TowerTalk mailing list
>TowerTalk at contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Message: 3
>Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2026 19:58:24 -0600
>From: Loyd richey <richeylh at charter.net>
>To: Steve Jones <n6sj at earthlink.net>
>Cc: Tony <73guddx at gmail.com>, towertalk at contesting.com
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>Message-ID: <17167616-7D79-453D-B793-23AE4765DD71 at charter.net>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
>Us Towers HDX 589 worked great for me for several years. I had about 37 sq feet. 40 meter 4 element 52 ft 3 inch boom and 5 element 20 meter OWA 36 ft 3 inch boom. about 17 feet above that.
>Other antennas and two big tilt plate double wall very heavy mast. Heavy Orion rotor etc    Approximately 439 lbs of weight . Ran that about 5 years. Always cranked it down to where the sections overlapped during high winds or all the way down when in our tornado season.
>Towered worked just fine.
>
>I did watch my tower closely as I was advised by US Tower I was pushing it.
>Good luck on the opposition!!
>
>73
>
>De Loyd
>WB4BMQ.
>
>Sweet Home Alabama
>Sent from my iPhone
>
>>  On Jan 6, 2026, at 5:54?PM, Steve Jones <n6sj at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>
>>  ?Tony,
>>  When I put up my UST HDX-589 I spoke with Remigio Fernandez, their
>>  structural engineer.  I put a SteppIR DB42 on top at 90 feet.  About 20+ sq
>>  feet of wind load.  Remigio said if the weather forecast is for 50 mph or
>>  higher gusts, lower the tower!  Otherwise it will be OK.  I have done this
>>  for about 13 years and it hasn't failed yet.
>>  Happy New Year es 73,
>>  Steve
>>  N6SJ
>>
>>  -----Original Message-----
>>  From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Tony
>>  Sent: Monday, January 5, 2026 3:11 PM
>>  To: TowerTalk at contesting.com
>>  Subject: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>>
>>  All:
>>
>>  I plan on replacing my HF antenna with an Optibeam model 16-3 Yagi. It's an
>>  interlaced 4/4/8 element Yagi that covers 20/15/10 meters. The antenna
>>  weighs 130lbs with a 33 foot boom with a wind rating of 12.7 sq. ft at 75
>>  mph.
>>
>>  I also plan on adding an additional 6M and 2 meter Yagi's above the HF Yagi
>>  on an 18-foot mast. The specs for the 6M / 2M antennas are 30lbs 30ft boom
>>  and 16lbs 21 ft boom. Windload is 5 and 2 sq.ft. at 75mph.
>>
>>  The total weight in antennas comes to 176lbs with an estimated wind load of
>>  18 sq.ft.
>>
>>  My tower is the HD555 heavy-duty model made by U.S. Tower. It has an antenna
>>  weight limit of 200 lbs and a wind rating of 23.4 sq.ft at 75mph. The
>>  rotator is the Yaesu 2800.
>>
>>  This setup "should" be within the towers rated limits, but I wanted to run
>>  the numbers by the group since there's a lot of experienced folks on this
>>  reflector.
>>
>>  Thanks, Tony -K2MO
>>
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
>>  TowerTalk mailing list
>>  TowerTalk at contesting.com
>>  http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
>>  TowerTalk mailing list
>>  TowerTalk at contesting.com
>>  http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Message: 4
>Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2026 19:38:38 -0800
>From: "Steve Jones" <n6sj at earthlink.net>
>To: "'Bruce Horn'" <bhorn at hornucopia.com>,	"'towertalk'"
>	<TowerTalk at contesting.com>
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>Message-ID: <000e01dc7f87$20c6e350$6254a9f0$@earthlink.net>
>Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
>
>Bruce, good point on #4, exposure:  Remigio told me if there are trees
>around the tower, that really helps break up the wind.  Mine is enmeshed in
>a forest of Douglas fir trees!  Nad below the top of the ridge, not on top.
>73,
>Steve
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Bruce Horn
>Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 5:49 PM
>To: towertalk <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>
>Hi,
>
>I have a UST HDX-589 with a SteppIR DB36 at the top of a mast (potentially
>105 ft level) and a Optibeam 16-3 side mounted at the 72 foot level.
>However, I know these antennas exceed the engineering ratings for the tower
>and therefore seldom crank the tower all the way up - the top antenna is
>kept at about the 70 foot level, which results in overlap of multiple tower
>sections. It's been up now for more than 30 years with various antenna
>configurations and the only failure I've had is a broken rotator, but I live
>in an area with relatively little wind.
>
>Some things to consider:
>
>1 - US Tower's engineering calcs show that it was calculated based on
>TIA-222F. This is an outdated standard. The move to TIA-222G resulted in
>significantly lower ratings for the same tower design. And now it appears
>the most recent standard is 222I.
>
>2 - the antenna windload specified by the manufacturer may have been
>calculated using a different standard than the tower. The OB 16-3 has a
>square cross-section boom and therefore has a greater windload than the same
>antenna would have with a round boom.
>
>3 - the calculated maximum tower load is for the entire load placed 1 foot
>above the top of the tower. When you use a mast to place antennas at higher
>levels, it derates the maximum wind load of the tower. You can't simply sum
>the wind loads of the antennas.
>
>4 - Tony, is your QTH in a windy area, or relatively calm area. On a ridge
>top? Do other nearby structures/trees offer a wind break? All of these
>factors influence to what degree you can live with professional engineering
>limitations vs. the typical ham "engineering."
>
>Good luck with your project. I like the OB 16-3 tribander.
>
>73 de Bruce, WA7BNM   (bhorn at hornucopia.com)
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Steve Jones" <n6sj at earthlink.net>
>To: "Tony" <73guddx at gmail.com>, "towertalk" <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
>Sent: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 3:53:53 PM
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>
>Tony,
>When I put up my UST HDX-589 I spoke with Remigio Fernandez, their
>structural engineer.  I put a SteppIR DB42 on top at 90 feet.  About 20+ sq
>feet of wind load.  Remigio said if the weather forecast is for 50 mph or
>higher gusts, lower the tower!  Otherwise it will be OK.  I have done this
>for about 13 years and it hasn't failed yet.
>Happy New Year es 73,
>Steve
>N6SJ
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Tony
>Sent: Monday, January 5, 2026 3:11 PM
>To: TowerTalk at contesting.com
>Subject: [TowerTalk] US Tower Weight / Wind Load Load Limits
>
>All:
>
>I plan on replacing my HF antenna with an Optibeam model 16-3 Yagi. It's an
>interlaced 4/4/8 element Yagi that covers 20/15/10 meters. The antenna
>weighs 130lbs with a 33 foot boom with a wind rating of 12.7 sq. ft at 75
>mph.
>
>I also plan on adding an additional 6M and 2 meter Yagi's above the HF Yagi
>on an 18-foot mast. The specs for the 6M / 2M antennas are 30lbs 30ft boom
>and 16lbs 21 ft boom. Windload is 5 and 2 sq.ft. at 75mph.
>
>The total weight in antennas comes to 176lbs with an estimated wind load of
>18 sq.ft.
>
>My tower is the HD555 heavy-duty model made by U.S. Tower. It has an antenna
>weight limit of 200 lbs and a wind rating of 23.4 sq.ft at 75mph. The
>rotator is the Yaesu 2800.
>
>This setup "should" be within the towers rated limits, but I wanted to run
>the numbers by the group since there's a lot of experienced folks on this
>reflector.
>
>Thanks, Tony -K2MO
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>TowerTalk mailing list
>TowerTalk at contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>TowerTalk mailing list
>TowerTalk at contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>TowerTalk mailing list
>TowerTalk at contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Subject: Digest Footer
>
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>
>------------------------------
>
>End of TowerTalk Digest, Vol 277, Issue 3
>*****************************************

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