[ARRL-OK] Antenna tower expertise

[Patrick Greenlee]

I am interested in installing some antenna towers and to date the only install I have personally accomplished is a Hy-Gain Hy-Tower which was intended to be ground mounted free standing on a cubic yard of concrete with a plethora of radials.  It is currently working well atop the roof ridge of one of my all metal barns with no concrete involved, a custom base mount, a 4-way Phillystran guy system at the 24 ft level, and no radials.

As I hope to use these towers partly for ARES I thought it would make sense to appeal for some Elmering here via this venue. I am refurbishing  a crank-up/tilt-over tower comprised of 2 each 20 ft sections and as a separate project will be repurposing the bottom two 20 ft sections of what was a 100 ft tower (over 14 feet leg to leg) that originally held a wind generator (prior to being destroyed by gyroscopic forces not adequately allowed for in its design.) I hope to use the HD 40 ft tall by 14+ bottom sections as the base on which to mount yet another crank-up tower.

I will start recovering the big base 40 footer this coming Monday by clearing decades of brush and trees currently intertwined in the lower X braces. I would appreciate any advice I can use as I have only climbed towers and never installed any other than as mentioned above. Of special interest are thoughts on piers to secure the legs of the 40 ft X 14+ foot bottom section.  Two of its legs are attached to their respective piers via pivots so the tower can be tilted up and down. I intend to disassemble the tower from the top down with air driven impact tools and after cleaning and painting will assemble it on the ground to be tilted up.

I’m not entirely familiar with the appropriate “netiquette” here but will solicit direct emails until or unless advised otherwise by competent authority,

73 and thanks in advance for any consideration,

Patrick AF5CK