The Building & Erecting of Ham Radio Tower - Station K2PTL

[@er1073]

I appreciate your humor with the pups and the gofer. The mast was excellent.

[@BriKuz]

Loved hearing November Rain while you were oiling the alignment boards

[@gobdeep]

I’m about to put an HF tower out in one of my pastured and this is exactly what I needed to see before starting the dig. Thanks so much!

[@JDK45ACP]

Love the tower and the antenna. Watched the whole video because of the music! Nice job on the project. Hard work digging 4.5 foot hole by hand. Kudos, brother.

[@anthonyspicer874]

Great tower install.. You did a great job....Love the Rocky music... Now I need to figure out where to buy a tower.... Appreciate you sharing the build with us..

[@metroreal954]

Jersey? What exit? Ahhhh- hahhhh- hahhhh. Nice job on super tower! Love the" Rocky " music. FB OM !!!!!

[@SunriseCrawlers]

Great video. Scott reminds me alot of my dad for some reason

[@alzeNL]

i watch loads of these ham radio tower videos, and this so far has been my favourite, its got everything - but the best thing is how fun it is. Thanks for uploading and I hope one day I can get my signals thru this mighty, and fun - antenna ! 73's M7ALU

[@dominickdeflorio193]

Excellent video. Nothing like it anywhere else. Thanks for the help.

[@N2LRB]

I am so glad I saw this video. I love to watch every phase of a tower going up. Digging that hole and adding cement was very cool. I felt envious. I am live in a NYC middle income CO-OP with antenna restrictions. So I can only have antennas inside my apartment. Your video made me laugh, love the dogs out of the hold part and made me misty eyed when the music came on and the tower was put on. You are blessed. I just hope your neighbors don't mind the tower. Hope to work you. Go Bless, 73 from N2LRB

[@keeler1160]

I'm glad I ran into your comment cause I always wondered what restrictions are in an urban area. I think about living in the uptown dallas area but I feel like there will be restrictions with ham radio over there.

[@mrmotofy]

There's Federal Laws that override ANY local restrictions. If you have a HAM License then you have Federal permission to put up equipment. Many have beat there local BS restrictions.

[@cosmicinsane516]

So glad I live somewhere I can just put up whatever I want without permits or plans.

[@ForensicPI]

Me too, moved to Tennessee last year. www.theexpositor.tv/blog/american-by-birth-tennessean-by-choice-christian-by-gods-sovereign-election-conservative-by-common-sense/

[@3v068]

That bit with the dogs was just too cute!

[@lmy5pence481]

Just received my tower similar to yours but have extra base, but swivel. could also be extended. Thank you for sharing.

[@pbutler0731]

I am doing that exact same set up this weekend.... Hole is dug, box frame and base supports are in place... just waiting for the weekend to get a concrete mixer...

[@raysaircraft]

Thank you, I learned a lot from this video. I am putting up a tower near Fresno, Loved the dogs. My chiwawa helped dig.

[@wakes_inc]

Great video of a great project. Congrats.

[@VSears-Vortex]

Thanks now I know what Im in for when I go to do mine. I also got a good NEEDED laugh when the dogs came out. Cheers

[@thewatcher5271]

Wow! Sure Makes My 102" Whip & Homemade Ground Plane Look Like A Booger!! 8-)

[@jaynardone6215]

I really enjoyed doing mine myself as well. I thought I was bad having to do 58 wheelbarrow loads from the cement truck to the hole, wow you guys did 5 gallon buckets!! Looks great, good work!! 73, W3SCA

[@terryburge6763]

Good little video show how to put a tower in. Liked the straight forward way you did the base. Didn't envy you the digging! Terry, KI7M

[@GusFromDaysPast]

Nicely put together video. I'm looking at tower options and this video was the best fixed tower video I've seen. Ignore the people nitpicking everything. Nice job.

[@Tom-W7TMD]

Looked great!

[@equalizerny9263]

Really cool video thank you it help me with my project..God bless

[@blackjack0863]

You're just like me. I work in my bare feet too! LOVED THE DOGS.

[@TEGEscalator]

very nice achievement, greetings from Belgium 73 👍

[@rickvia8435]

Beautiful - No candy-assin around here.

[@vexbomer]

Wonderful video on the process helpful to a new guy like me when trying to set up my first base station

[@ForensicPI]

Glad it was helpful!

[@2m4fiero80]

So Well built I can receive it way here in the Netherlands!!! Good Job

[@SuperUncleRyan]

If you were actually a contact, that is very cool. These are the kind of things that peak my interest even more.

[@mjinabnit4481]

Cool beans and great looking install! Gave me the idea of adding a rod IN the hole as a ufer ground added to the rebar/base section. Tnx for the fun video and well done om, 73 j

[@tlbfarm4473]

1:00: That's It!!!! I'm not digging a hole for a ham radio tower!!! Two tin cans and a wire for me! 🤣

[@gordonalkire3287]

When I installed my MA-40 tower I had the hole dug professionally. He only had to drive 5 blocks and it was $85 bucks. Prior to the concrete pour I added 4 ground rods into the side of the hole and fastened a grounding cable from them to the tower anchors rods. Adding grounding was just a hedge against wishing I had done it later. I then after the tower was up added 2 more grounds to the anchor bolts above ground. I shared the concrete delivery with my neighbor that poured a concrete apron for his garage. $250 bucks total cost. Delivery truck only had to change driveways.Neighbor and I shared the delivery charge.

[@Man0fMeans]

Love the video! All the steps I wanted to see. Very jealous - hope you get decades of use out of her!

[@mrcoog3k832]

Great video! Inspiring!

[@HarleyRider503]

Great video Bill, my wife to be has an obsession for Chihuahua's so she liked the video too. Very well put together I might add. 73 de KB6MAT in World Famous Apple Valley.

[@jamesgoh3719]

Great video

[@strike-attack]

Nice Vid. I think I'll build one as well.

[@stephenanderson4549]

GREAT JOB BILL !!

[@williamgonzalaez229]

Awesome job!

[@markjones2185]

Thanks for the KZbin video I'm looking up these kits now. think I'm going to get one and set my Antron 99 on top of a 40-foot Tower run me about 500 watt linear probably a Palomar.

[@kd5you1]

At field day years ago I learned how to drive a ground rod into the ground by using water and my hands. Start a hole with the rod and then pour a little bit of water into the hole. Let it soak for 30 seconds and then ram the rod into the hole. Pull it out and repeat with the water. Ram the ground rod again, and repeat the process. After a few minutes the rod will be 8' in the ground minus the few inches needed for a ground clamp.

[@press8704]

Amazing!!

[@fnordist]

The gravitation levels the mast foundation itself, simply fill it with concrete roughly until you have about 3 inches left, then you take an epoxy two-component filler mix it with 1/3 quart silica sand and replenish the rest, which is liquid and hardens evenly. A similar technique was used by architects in ancient Egypt to level the foundations of their pyramids.

[@giulianoggg2035]

Great job excellent bravo! how wide and deep is the plinth hole?

[@jakep5121]

Loved the video! Thanks for posting.

[@HarmonicaMustang]

Man, what an awesome antenna. I'm renting my place so I can't put in anything permanent, so I can only get away with 9m random-length antenna on a collapsible flag pole when the weather permits (which in the UK is not often). Great job!

[@kevinbrister8801]

First of all, a big thanks to you for making and uploading this video! I am here bcs I am planning on my own tower soon. I live in a rural area and I own 3 firestick devises and 3 T.V.'s. All the internet provider companies are saying that I'd need atleast a 60ft tower to recieve a signal. I've called around for installation pricing but who's got $2000 to pay someone to install it? So I'm doing my research on how to do it myself. We've been in our house for 16 years and we already have pretty much the same type of base as shown in your video. Although I'm not sure how deep in the ground it is bcs I have yet to dig around and inspect to find out. I'm not sure if its a concrete pad with a plate or if its actually several feet deep! It had guy wires on it and one wire was tied off around a huge cedar tree close to my neighbors house so like dummies we had the whole tower removed instead of rerouting the guy wire bcs we were affraid that the wire was gonna kill yhe tree and fall on their house. So now we are back at square one reinstalling a 60ft tower in the same place. The tower that was there had an old rotary t.v. antenna on it. So the new one will have just an internet reciever on it. The thing I dont get is why are these towers so expensive? All I want to do is be able to recieve a decent signal for my firestick to work properly without buffering constantly! Thanks again for this video, it waz very helpful!

[@oliviarose9541]

Nice rock music!

[@111111111Tiger]

Gonna Fly Now - lmao you had me rolling.. thanks

[@Chillguydrew]

Wow I was just looking into making a ham radio station for a missionary project. Maybe the lord is trying to tell me something though your video. God bless!

[@rtoledo2]

I saw you cut the 2 plastic pvc lines , but what was that steel line on the edge of the hole? is it your water main line ? . awesome job by the way 73's

[@sp1wz208]

Nice video. Greetings from Poland.

[@Orvulum]

You lucky dog! Actual soil! There's no chance of ever digging a hole like that where I live; you'd need a jack-hammer! Even ground rods are a big challenge... Great video though! 😆

[@FAF575]

LOVE the HAT!!

[@torres_arriostradas]

Good and excellent work!!!!

[@fatherlandchild2780]

Very cool 👌

[@neilyoung1673]

A job well done

[@BADBONES1959]

KICKING MYSELF IN THE BUTT BECAUSE I LISTENED TO MY HAM RADIO CLUB! NOW I HAVE A SOLID PIECE OF TOWER SITTING CONCRETE WAITING FOR MY TOWER AND ANTENNA FOR MONTHS NOW!!! YOU LIVE AND LEARN!!!

[@lostcosmos]

Great video and love the dogs!

[@AcidHawk9]

Did you mix all the concrete in that tiny bucket by hand? That must have taken ages. Could you not get a concrete mixer to make that part a little easier and quicker? Nice job, well done!

[@torres_arriostradas]

Jajaja, I do they same way, when i Saw that I felt very Good about that Skil

[@house9850]

The black and white gopher wasn't laughing.

[@Blackabeard]

How many bags of concrete did it take? I have a tower laying in my back yard and just need to dig the hole and pour concrete.

[@Dennis-tf2cs]

Great Job!! I hope to be able to do the same someday. I do a lot of VHF SSB and height is might in VHF land.

[@TheNuttyHam]

Where did u get this base. Looks like you have the same tower i have and ive been looking for a base like that for it.

[@anthonymarino4260]

wel done

[@robertmacombo8767]

Very good work, 73 de IK3QNF.

[@VK5KU]

Very satisfying to watch! 73 de Kevin, VK4KK

[@glenbaker5311]

My cat said to put the dogs back an cover the hole,,nice tower,,glad I'm out of the tower stage,,moved to a 2120 ft hill,,just u a 20 ft pole a router,, enjoy,,gb

[@769270865]

Now...that is my near future goal...save enough money and put a tower up!

[@nicolesanderson4935]

Love the doggies!!! 🐕 so cute!!!

[@bombswabs3041]

Man I so wish I could do this one day. I rent here and landlords likely wont go for it. Too bad cause I could do very well not only with ham radio but helium mining.

[@TheMultisportGeek]

Nice looking tower. 1. What do your neighbors think? In other words, do HAMs generally get their neighbors OK? All I have is a YAESU 2 meter. 2. How long did it take to convince your wife to allow this? 👍😀

[@ForensicPI]

1) Two of my neighbors helped me tilt it up, but I'm sure there are some that might not like it. A couple days after it was erected, I saw a city vehicle in front taking photos of it, but I never heard from them again. 2) my wife is a Ham too, but not on HF (yet). :)

[@joerowland7350]

If you got to get your wife permission we need your man card BACK lol

[@pyroman590]

Looks awesome, very envious! What have your neighbors comments been like? Mine ask me what the heck is going on in my backyard. I just have a multiband vertical and sometimes put up a 20m full wave delta loop.

[@sonidoa.c.g3884]

I was wondering how much cubic yards of concrete you used ?.?

[@DockterWho]

Your neighbors must love you...

[@wv02m]

I just subed you for the dogs and the radio stuff. i have 4 furbabys too.

[@toolstimber5953]

You could have installed a grounding wire loop on the bottom of the concrete block to make even better lightning protection. The lower surge impedance you get, the lees damage. 😊

[@ForbiddenUser403]

You can't do that. If 20ka lightning surge goes through concrete it's going to explode like a bomb because of the water content in concrete. A single lightning strike would not only destroy your equipment but probably also bring down the tower.

[@jamesfocke8464]

@@ForbiddenUser403 Sure you can, a matter of fact the NEC (National Electric Code) now requires all Buildings Commercial and residential that the ground be connected to the rebar in the footers and slabs and extend out to the ground rods

[@voltoman]

Just makes it impossible to detect galvanic corrosion on the joint if it's buried in concrete.

[@1OFGODSOWN]

You never showed how tall the tower is? It’s quite a bit of concrete but it looks as if the tower is very short? Is it a crank up tower and if so how tall?

[@ForensicPI]

37' not including the very tall mast, but we moved from Calif to Tennessee. So we left the tower behind for another ham to take for free.

[@1OFGODSOWN]

@@ForensicPI Smart move leaving Comifornia.👍🎙

[@KA4UPW]

Im interested in the antenna, do a video about it

[@AngelMartinez-qn9od]

Hello buddy, what tower is it?

[@HermanJosefPrasetyantoAdi]

Really a good team work, can be an inspiration for us ... greetings from Indonesia ... ... de. YC2BTH 73 & GL

[@43wagonwheel]

Working in sandals seems real safe....

[@brian.7966]

Those dogs very funny :)

[@richarde735]

yo adrian, you mixed all that concrete in a bucket?

[@thebrain4239]

All that for a Hex Beam .I was expecting a nice Log-Periodic T-11😆

[@ForensicPI]

or for whatever I choose to put on the top.

[@peteantonio1601]

nice thanks

[@ForensicPI]

Most welcome

[@gfl1957]

The listed hole size seems awfully small. How tall is the tower? My Rohn 40' free standing called for a 4'x4'x4' hole with 4000psi concrete.

[@ForensicPI]

I don't understand what do you mean? My notes or caption states I dug it at 4 1/2 feet (which is deeper than yours).

[@VanLuciMoret]

how do you attached the tower to the house to minimize lateral movement?

[@ForensicPI]

I don't and I've never had that issue.

[@VanLuciMoret]

@@ForensicPI Mine has no bracket, and I'm not too confident to go up and install an antenna. LOL

[@ForensicPI]

Oh now I understand what you mean. I would never climb mine, says not to in the manual. But the tower is on a hinged base, so if I needed to change my antenna, I get a couple guys to help me lean the tower on its side, then mount or repair the antenna, and then raise it back up. We mounted this antenna onto the top pole while it was laying over on it’s side, then we lifted it up.

[@mikebohemia1947]

Excellent job ! Thanks for sharing. 73 de ok8msw

[@Police19005]

How many bags you used in the foundation?

[@richarde735]

that’s at least a cubic yard

[@skiphorni]

Impertinent question. $$? Tower bits and pieces and the spider? I have access to friends (aka grunt labor) but budget is finite.

[@ForbiddenUser403]

Technically.. You're supposed to have an 8 foot grounding rod for each leg on the tower.

[@PhilipHousel]

And CAD welded.

[@rickjudgejr1435]

If I want to put up a 60ft tower what would be the dimension of the base. How deep and wide

[@TexasRailfan2008]

Rick Judge Jr well, it depends on the make and model of the tower. You can probably find some info on the internet. Israel-KI5DZH-Texas.

[@TexasRailfan2008]

Israel is my name not the country I live in as you can tell I live in Texas

[@TexasScout]

That music was perfect! De AD5TD

[@thomascleveland4942]

Have two similar dogs staring at me right now! Love the video. Where did you get the tower? I am in North Carolina but any suggestions would be appreciated.

[@ForensicPI]

This is a Hy-Gain tower, and I bought mine used from another Ham.

[@ianmarkfrancisco9461]

how many kilometers can this cover?

[@carlfalk7251]

Don't the legs need to be bonded together before dumping the concrete? I've seen rebar used in holes to to reinforce the concrete.

[@ForensicPI]

They were.

[@ectv]

cool its the best

[@stephenanderson4549]

BILL, I LIKE THAT HAA

[@HamBone01]

nice job. I noticed you didn't use any rebar. Is that normal?

[@ForensicPI]

The rebar was that entire base that you saw me lower into the hole. HyGain made the rebar base all set up for the install.

[@loueckert4970]

Hi from KT1R