Fire tower

[crappykraco]

Going to be making use of this old fire lookout tower near my home. I can access it with my small truck fairly easily when there isn't snow on the ground. May thru November just about.

It is a 75 foot tower sat on top of a hill roughly 850-900 ft above sea level. On a clear day I can see for 50 miles in just about every direction from the top of the tower.

The only thing that is higher up in the air is this cell tower.

I just need to figure out a way to quickly mount an antenna and then take it down when I'm ready to leave.

 

[doctor]

What band you going to operate, if it is cb just a Wilson 5000 mag mount would be good horizontal. If it is ham bands choose 1 band I guess again a mag mount vertical. We have one of those at the state forest near me, you can climb but the inside is locked, You can use a h/t for 2/440 and hit repeaters 75 miles from there at 5 watts.
DOCTOR/795

 

[Cookie55]

Back a few years ago the forestry service decommissioned a lot of the fire towers around here and rumor had it that they basically gave them away to some one that could take it down. I've always thought what a interesting shack one of those would have made.

 

[222DBFL]

Man what a view. Looks like a prime dx spot!!

 

[Bundy]

doctor has a good idea with the Wilson 5000, 5 second mounting.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Such a wonderful operating location. Shame to waste it on a magmount.

 

[crappykraco]

I could easily slap my sirio 5000 on top of the tower, but I was thinking something a little more substantial.

Might have to get creative and make some sort of bracket I could bolt on and take it down when I'm done. Don't mind setup taking a little time... I'd make a day out of it. Maybe hoist something up on a pulley?

It is a great location and I only live down the hill a bit.

Would operate 10/11 and 2 meter.

 

[crappykraco]

The plexiglass windows up top all open. So an L shaped bracket bolted the lip with a short section of mast is my first thought.

 

[Grogan]

mount a cheap vertical Imax ect cary up the radio and coax and Talk. Oh Got power? 12v battery solar cell???

 

[crappykraco]

Was planning on dropping coax to the ground and operating radio in my vehicle.

 

[doctor]

Another idea use a end fed wire like I do, 10-40, just tie the end off and other end on the rail....
I have 2 of them up and 10-80 on one 46 feet and the other 6-40, 36 feet, with the tuner swr 1 to 1..
DOCTOR/795

 

[hotrod]

a99 mounted to tower

 

[copefarms]

we call that a deer stand in my neck of the woods lol. thanks for sharing

 

[hotrod]

a99 or imax2k with cable going to ya mobile . id just leave it mounted .when not in use coil up the coax and put it inside.

 

[StrangeBrew]

Was planning on dropping coax to the ground and operating radio in my vehicle.

Could you run some radials on the ground and use a tuner to load up the whole tower?