New Tower Install.

[Grogan]

I dug the hole during the week. Secured the tilt base and section one of my new to me tower. A nice Craig's list find. Added some rebar and some pee gravel for drainage. Was going to mix concrete my self with 50 lb bags . And found that I needed 72 and a few extra. After digging the hole with help from my son he said just call the truck.
So I did. A yard later it's poured.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

72 bags? You must have been thinking about the stuff you just add water too. I poured a few tower foundations using sand and gravel with Portland cement and a mixer. I don't do that that crap any more. My last tower required 6+ yards of concrete. The local ready mix plant was happy to deliver it and I was happy to let them.

 

[2RT307]

72 bags? You must have been thinking about the stuff you just add water too. I poured a few tower foundations using sand and gravel with Portland cement and a mixer. I don't do that that crap any more. My last tower required 6+ yards of concrete. The local ready mix plant was happy to deliver it and I was happy to let them.

Some things are just worth paying for.

73,
Brett

 

[Grogan]

Wow 6 yards! Serious stuff. I only needed a yard and 72 bags at 50 lbs was the pre mix stuff. and where I am to have the sand and stone and the cement delivered would cost more than pre-mix. so it was time to call the truck. Next I will paint the tower and Get the Mast and Rotor Plus antenna.etc No hurry here. Even with a Yard it is best to have a friend to Help.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

My tower is freestanding so it needs lots more for a base. It is a 64 foot Trylon T-500. It is 18 inches at the top and 42 inches at the bottom. Good for 52 square feet of wind loading at 70 mph. Hopefully I never have to worry about things.

 

[Grogan]

My plan was to be able to service the antenna ,rotor etc. 40' Rohn with Mast and I made a Hazer to Raise and lower the antenna. The tower also has a tilt over Base. Wanted to be able to work on it without to much trouble and mostly by Myself or one other person without heavy equipment. Should be fun this winter.

 

[Blackcat630]

Good for 52 square feet of wind loading at 70 mph. Hopefully I never have to worry about things.

52 Sq ft! Holy crap..you could put a small car on top the tower..

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

52 Sq ft! Holy crap..you could put a small car on top the tower..

As long as the car is within three feet of the top you should be good. I'll have about 22 sq.ft. of loading on it with the highest antenna a 2m yagi about 14 feet above the top. A 6m antenna will be about 10 feet from the top and a 12/17m three element 6 feet from the top and an Explorer 14 with 40m kit right at the top.

 

[Blackcat630]

5

As long as the car is within three feet of the top you should be good. I'll have about 22 sq.ft. of loading on it with the highest antenna a 2m yagi about 14 feet above the top. A 6m antenna will be about 10 feet from the top and a 12/17m three element 6 feet from the top and an Explorer 14 with 40m kit right at the top.

Make sure you post a pic of that set up when it's up. Sounds like a nice array. With 52ft you will still have some room to play... you could always put up a 2nd tower for 2-40 and use the big one for a 3 element yagi on 80

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Yes on the pictures but no on the lots of room to play. Those specs are for 70 mph but with NO ice load. Things drop fast when you factor in the ice and we can get near hurricane force winds in the winter here with snow and ice. I had a centre fiberglass insulator on an A3 tribander snap in half like a toothpick one time from too much ice and then the wind picked up and tore the rest of it apart and it was only at 40 feet.

 

[Blackcat630]

Gotcha..we get ice down here in central IL but not like you get up there.. Best to have way more wind load than you need in your location. At least that way you only have to worry about the antennas staying together and NOT the tower coming down.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Yeah the tower is 64 feet high and the top of the mast will be at about 78 feet. It is only 45 feet from the house. It would have to fall almost true north to hit the house and our winter storms come from the northeast so no problem there but summer/fall hurricane season could see it come from any direction depending on the track of the storm. Better safe than sorry,

 

[Grogan]

Looking for the mast..Big dollars if you buy mast pipe. Was looking to go 10 ' There is a place near me called Fazzio, The have many kinde of steel pipe also aluminum. want something strong and light. Was looking at the Yaesu Rotor G450A and a 4 to 5 element Maco.
http://metals.shopjfi.com/?l=1

 

[222DBFL]

I would go with at least 2" galvanized heavy steel pipe Grogan. Or if aluminum. 2" or the largest the will fit the collar of the rotor and and the tower and work. No less than aircraft grade though. And have some thickness. You get what you pay for at times. But I wouldn't skimp out at the very top of the tower where a lot of stress is going to be exerted on the mast pipe from slimming the beam to wind and weather as well. But that is JMHO. There is a reason that the real mast pipe ones are expensive. They are made for it. JMHO. But I truly wouldn't skimp now. Too much invested at this point. Again, JMHO. Do it right once and it won't have to be messed with again. Especially with a tower. Again, JMHO's.
Keep at it. But do it safely!! I promise it will be well worth down the road, even a couple of years from now. I'm no tower expert, but do believe in safety first!! Have a good one, And again, be safe man!!!

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I'm going to go against what most fellow hams say but here it goes. Black iron water pipe is cheap and definitely heavy enough for what you want. Been using it for 37 years.The reason people do not like to use it is that it is designed for internal pressure not bending strength. You need to use a little common sense and select a piece that is heavy enough in proportion to it's length. For years and YEARS I used a 10 foot length of 2 inch OD water pipe with a wall thickness of about 1/8 inch or so to support a Wilson Shooting Star dual polarity beam at 40 feet on a tower which was exposed to Cat.1 hurricane strength winds many times. Not so much as a bent mast. My present installation has a 20 foot length of 2 inch inside diameter water pipe with an 8 foot galvanized pipe sleeved inside it extending from just below the tower top to about 7 feet above it which is where the most strength is needed. The total wall thickness is nearly half an inch thick. I did this because of the heavy antenna loading that will be installed. You don't need anything that heavy of course but stay away from the little 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 inch swagged masting used to install TV antennas and generally available from radio Shack and the like. Any scrap yard should have a length of two inch STEEL water pipe that is very acceptable. High carbon steel or chromolly masts are ridiculously priced and in most cases not necessary at all unless you are installing some BIG amateur antennas or on a really long mast.