How to Install a Starlink Tower - No More Obstructions!

If you are living off grid & want Starlink trees can be a real problem! See my DIY Starlink tower that SOLVED this issue for me eliminating my obstructions without cutting trees down. This will also provide me free HDTV & options to support rural homestead living. This video is provided for entertainment only, what worked for me here may not be right for your situation.
To rent equipment across the US, be sure to visit www.rentalhq.com they can help you find equipment near you and share videos and tips on how to make the most of your rental.
Tools I used:
Post Hole Digger: amzn.to/3rMZo3X
Klein Level: amzn.to/3CecXOS
Electric Elbow: amzn.to/3efYCJI
Duct Seal: amzn.to/3yri1hG
Makita Drill/Driver: amzn.to/3MkcW0g
This video, description and comments contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows us to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of Silver Cymbal, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. Silver Cymbal assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. Silver Cymbal recommends safe practices when working on machines and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of Silver Cymbal, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not Silver Cymbal.

[@SilverCymbal]

Please remember to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE - Tools used *Post Hole Digger* amzn.to/3rMZo3X *Level* amzn.to/3CecXOS *Electric Elbow* amzn.to/3efYCJI *Duct Seal* amzn.to/3yri1hG *Makita Drill/Driver* amzn.to/3MkcW0g

[@marvinboggs]

SC: Do you have any arrangements with Bluetti (through Amazon)? I am about to buy the AC300, the B300 and 3 PV200 200W Solar Panels. It's gonna cost about $6,200. If some of that goes to you, I'm a happy man.

[@TrueHelpTV]

If anyone needs a tower climber or advice, reply to me using this comment.

[@saviour7044]

Speed test

[@TrueHelpTV]

@@saviour7044 speed

[@susanthejew6351]

oh yeah this is totally easy to do fucking retard

[@dtierney]

electrical engineer here. not too shabby for a diy home tower. I do recommend running airwire from a lightning rod down to your ground rod. harger has good stuff for this. use aluminum mesh down your tower for weight and cost then transition to coated 4/0. impressive video.

[@nusermane1076]

Definitely add a lighting rod at the top, otherwise the Starlink Dish will do this job, which commonly isn’t considered proper use 🤪 Good video and IMPRESSIVE project nevertheless! 🙂

[@SilverCymbal]

Thank you very much, I will have to check into that, NH gets a lot of lightning storms and I think this could be very useful for me. Thanks!

[@robest334]

Are lightning arrestors expensive?

[@techytrendysolutions6063]

Make video tutorial?

[@dtierney]

@@robest334 good call. Times microwave or polyphaser are reputable brands and can cost up to 100 bucks. Depends on the model. Another layer of protection for rf

[@jimturpin]

In my younger years I installed quite a few towers, you did fine. Only thing I would have done differently is bring the cable into the building up high, right under the eaves instead of near the ground where small children or pets could step on it or run into it. Also, here is a tip for putting in grounding rods far easier than hammering it in. Forget the hammer and use just a little water, only takes about a half a gallon. Pour a little bit of the water on the ground, then push and pull the ground rod up and down in that spot. As the rod goes down, keep adding a little water down in the hole as you go. Each time you pull it up the vacuum dislodges the dirt under the bottom end, literally sucking the dirt up and out of the way and allowing you to push it down further. If you had done it this way you would have put all the way down in ground about a minute or two and never broke a sweat. Cheers!

[@REVNUMANEWBERN]

THANKS for your input, I have the Turpin name in my family tree, from N.C.

[@GetMeThere1]

It's amazing what a little water can do! I was told how to do this by an electrician -- the difference was AMAZING vs pounding. He said to use hot water, though, and, it worked fine.

[@jimturpin]

@@GetMeThere1 I learned the hard way, something of a rite of passage the old guys pulled on the young guys, back when I started in 2-way radio in 80's. One morning I was given a pile of 6 foot ground rods and heavy grounding wire to install around the perimeter of a building and tower by the boss and shop manager, both of them were grinning a lot, and neither of them said anything when I loaded up and threw a sledge hammer in the truck. I had no idea they were pulling a prank on me. The ground was very hard, and I never had the best eye hand coordination, and over the course of the morning snapped off the heads of two sledgehammers by missing and hitting the wooden part with the ground rods damaging them. When I asked for money to pick up another hammer at the hardware store the shop manager finally let me in on the secret, to use water and install them "hydraulically". I was totally blown away how simple and fast they went in, and yeah I was annoyed at them, but it was a lesson well learned.

[@acidreign0911]

i was thinking the same, also at his location he should consider an ice bridge for the cable.

[@pearlrival3124]

guy wires every 10 feet beyond the peak of the garage.

[@timbrwolf1121]

Dude who delivered the equipment was an absolute PRO. That was worth a video in itself.

[@gregktm]

Is this a joke? He didn't include a harness.

[@timbrwolf1121]

@@gregktm Talking about the guy who delivered the rental man lift

[@gregktm]

Yes. He could barely drive it.

[@twocansams6335]

Great build man, FYI from someone who works in construction and at heights when you climb that tower please use a harness with a lanyard that you can clip onto the tower encase you slip and always clip on the vertical section encase one or two of the supports break when falling.

[@mikefeddersen2476]

My dad installed one of these antennas nearly 50 years ago, at the bottom he had a concrete base too. But he had installed a hinge setup with the flat side of the triangle facing away from the house. Then he used his loader on a tractor to raise and lower the antenna. The mount was for a CB antenna with a Footwarmer brand amplifier and a TV antenna. We learned a lesson on proper grounding when the big stick antenna got hit by lightning ⚡. The upper brace needs it's own grounding wire, as on ours the lightning went through the wall in the upstairs bathroom to some fancy metallic and felt wallpaper.

[@N4CR5]

Be aware of wind loading on those smaller towers as you attach more surface area to it ;)

[@dhansel4835]

What you should have done is get a base plate to sit the tower on . Just putting the tower in the ground will eventually cause the tower to react with the concrete. Concrete is corrosive and will eat into the tower. You needed to paint or spray a tar-like substance on the tower that is going into the hole. Let this tarlike material set up for at least 24 hours then put the tower section in. I used rebar in the hole to strengthen up the concrete. Rebar is cheap and it will add strength to the tower. When climbing a tower be sure to use good pair of work shoes. No sandals or tennis shoes. Also wear a safety belt. An accident can happen in a split second and a fall from 10' can be fatal.

[@P_RO_]

Some of the following has been mentioned by others, so please read the comments for details. First, all grounds should be bonded and one rod isn't enough. Use 3 in a triangle ~6 ft. apart with no breaks in the conductor. Use solid metal rods, not copper-plated ones. Second, secure the cable along a tower leg ~3ft apart using 5+ wraps of high-quality electrical tape. Third, use two of this at eaves level to enter the house and leave a 'drip loop' to resist water ingression. Fourth, every bit of the tower going into the concrete should be fully de-rusted, primed, and painted including inside the tubes; don't nick the paint during the install. Best to repaint the whole tower and touch-up as needed after the install (paint the hardware too and paint after the ground has been run). Fifth maybe should be first, but before you plan on a location check your homeowners insurance, as you may be voiding your policy doing this in any manner they don't approve of. Towers can be classified as an "attractive nuisance" legally meaning you must protect them against unauthorized access. Children love to climb and you're still liable if an adult trespasser climbs and falls. Wrapping the base with well-secured chicken wire, pigpen wire, or chain link fencing to a height of ~8ft (or a high fence works) and lock up any ladders someone might grab to bypass this. Sixth, don't go adding taught guy wires to free-standing towers; if you think they're needed, think of them as a 'safety device' only as they present a load which has not been allowed for in the tower design. Seventh, always consider possible tower failure and what it can affect; if it falls outside of your property you're liable for all damages and your insurance may not help. Eighth, consider having a disconnectble plug/socket you can access inside your house for added lightning protection af all wires/cables/coax coming from the tower, and don't have any security or computer electronics near that spot. Ninth probably won't apply to you but be sure you're not violating any building codes or HOA restrictions. Tenth, if you add anything else to the tower run those cables on a different tower leg to prevent inductive interference. Towers are beautiful and very useful when everything is right, but can be your worst nightmare if things aren't right, so don't cheat yourself- do it right.

[@NithinJune]

Very informative! thank you!

[@erichimes3062]

If the tower tubes are ferrous metal, I’d use FluidFilm on a 360° spray pattern wand to coat the interior after the outer surface is protected

[@Noone-jn3jp]

Question from the back 🤚 You said "Solid metal rod", Do you mean solid copper?

[@redspectrenine9632]

I was literally about to say add a drip loop, but this comment has it covered.

[@larsvongraff5794]

Did these for Ericsson in the early eighties. You are dead on. Whenever stranded copper touché a connector it got silver solder. Another team did the tower planting but the way you describe is accurate. Seems like almost 50 years later it would somehow be easier

[@Awol991]

You can do the base with bolts into the concrete using a tower footing element. Even get a hinged base plate so the tower can be assembled on the ground then raised.

[@Jay_the_Caffeinator]

This reminds me of the TV antenna we had at my childhood home. I think it was the same height. It was great access to the roof. AND THANK YOU for reminding people about the safety needs.

[@geod3589]

Last tower I put up, I also rented a bucket similar to what you rented. I help a friend put up some Rohn 25G and he put 50-feet together on the ground, and then used a small crane to just pick it up and set in on the base. One, nit.. you were not wearing a safety belt/harness when you were both climbing and in the lift. Even being in the lift you need to wear a safety belt.

[@REVNUMANEWBERN]

I'm surprised the renter didn't tell him

[@dylandrouin3085]

It’s only required per osha, so as he’s doing this himself it’s a non issue. As far as safety goes 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@bradmad8346]

The safety harness is a must, unless you enjoy pain or death. And you get both hands free to work.

[@hg2.]

Yes, even more impressive is the size of this guy's trust fund.

[@peterpiper_203]

@@dylandrouin3085 SMH

[@johnwetmore1527]

Bonding your tower to the master house (utility company) ground is something you should do. Without bonding all grounds together a lightning strike nearby can yield a difference in voltage potential between individual grounds and destroy equipment. Nice job on the tower! I have a few myself around my property with my highest being 125 feet.

[@DingleFlop]

The tower ground is not an equipment ground.

[@bigguyprepper]

If I remember right, article 800 or 825 of the national electric code requires the ground rod at the tower to be bonded to the main equipment ground in your first disconnect

[@guytech7310]

If you got any substantial voltage difference its going to fry the equipment anyway. For my tower (60 ft) I have two grounds, one for the tower and a seperate for the equipment (mounted in a equipment box next to the tower). all of the cables are protected with either lightning arrestors or surge protectors. If the tower gets a direct lightening hit, its going to fry all of the equipment regardless of lightening\surge protection.

[@VivekGangwar02]

@@guytech7310 can you guyz please explain this phenomenon in short? How does a lightning strike at some other place can affect the ground you made at your place? I'm from India and these technicalities are not very common here. ThankYou

[@guytech7310]

@@VivekGangwar02 when the lightening hits the ground it raises the ground potential for a short instance, as earth ground is only about 6 ohms. if the strike is close to the building grounding rod, the building ground can have a higher voltage potential and will seek a path to a lower voltage potential. At the transformer there is another ground that can have a lower potential than your buildings ground.

[@RayleighCriterion]

A proper Rohn 25G tower base plate with threaded rod would allow you to use less concrete and you wouldn't have to dig such a deep hole, and the tower would be higher up, giving you a better signal.

[@Wingnut353]

Thats the thing though... concrete and holes are not the expensive part of such a build.

[@bluyetiinc7553]

I was thinking the same. How deep a hole would you recommend?

[@RayleighCriterion]

@@bluyetiinc7553 Depends on the tower size, Rohn gives the minimum concrete needed for a free standing tower, for the 25G it's 2.4 cubic yards of concrete. The installation instructions give the necessary sizes and specs.

[@bluyetiinc7553]

@@RayleighCriterion i just got hold of a sixty foot tower. Did you find this info on ther web site?

[@soysauce73]

Thank you for this! I have strained my brain trying to figure out the best way to elevate the Starlink dish and I came across your video! Thank you thank you thank you!

[@ChrisJones-fn6tw]

Interesting. I don't live in a rural area or use Starlink, nor am I good with any kind of building, yet here I am watching this well-done video.

[@bobo-wf1jv]

I worked my way through college installing antennas, I've always felt that a neat tower is so much nicer than something sitting on the shingles.

[@10p6]

Great video. The only thing I would add is, since towers are made of different materials, just check for 'Dissimilar' metals when using bolts and so on which come into contact with the tower frame, especially if you plan on it being up for a long time and doing little to no maintenance.

[@AlexApol]

Neat install. I have installed about a dozen of these towers in Michigan. Rohn makes a flat steel base to set on top of concrete, I like installing the tower on top of a pad so when the tower eventually gets old, you can simply replace the tower without removing 1200lbs of concrete.

[@dragonslayer7587]

This is a great idea for me in the Blue Ridge. With Dish I'm losing signal constantly. {can't even watch TV most of the time. My kids bought a digital TV antenna for the motor home, but I connected to the facia and get a better signal than I do with Dish. Having this tower means I can also load it up with other things I want. THANKS so much for sharing!

[@SilverCymbal]

Much appreciated. I think this will be a great long term thing for us, I doubt we will see any other cable services so for Starlink and TV this should be a big help and future stuff. Glad you found it helpful.

[@TheJoehendrix1]

Thanks for posting. Plan to start starlink service next summer. In a wooded area and was wondering how to get past the trees. Glad our old TV antenna can be re-purposed.

[@melissaholley6088]

Best DIY channel on KZbin. Good video and clear explanations. Thanks for the info.

[@ggebhard1]

You make everything look possible! Because it is!

[@matheuspcsa]

The installation was very well done! The idea of using conduit afterwards will be good too! Congratulations on the video

[@jamesgranger8410]

That was so interesting I just went over my 10 minute break at work listening to it!

[@segredosdotiosam9989]

Nice job. The only thing I would do differently would be to bring the cable through a conduit at the same height as the brace. That way, the cable would not be exposed close to the ground.

[@sdmay1980]

Love the tower! Rules lol you climb it just fine. Great job getting rid of the rust. I love the setup.

[@bennym1956]

Great video, my son is still waiting on his Starlink after 1.5 years !!!

[@StarKnight619]

great idea and one I plan to use in the future only difference is that I wouldn't have put the tower in the concrete. I would have made maybe a 2x2x4 (or maybe 2x2x3) block and used heavy duty wedged anchors on it, to really bolt it down. The reason being is that no matter what rust will become a issue and servicing the tower every few years is a real thing. I was recently cleared to be a tower climber and they told us to ALWAYS inspect the tower for ANY and all damage as well as rust in key areas. still though a co-worker thought of doing the same thing.

[@tigeril5418]

Wow, it's beautiful where you are. Thanks for sharing this info.

[@tfrench4366]

Great video. While I will never need that, it's fun to watch you do it. Who knows down the road someone I know might need to know. Now I know.

[@randoir1863]

This was a fun video to watch !!!!! You thoroughly described and showed each step as you went along and had the results to show how it all worked . The only thing I saw in the video that was of any concern to me was that you were not wearing a safety harness to attach you to the carriage of the machine while you were elevated . Keep up the great work !!!

[@ericneumann8509]

I used that tower set up for a ladder boom, for painting inside the Watertowers. To connect the pieces together I would use grade 8 bolts.

[@MIKES0029]

This guy has the life I want!!

[@markshropshire5995]

I’ve been in this business for 30 years , I have stacked 1000s of feet of that model some of them up to 220 feet.you did great, only flaw was the zip ties. Just use electrical tape five wraps.

[@lee-mac]

I find your videos so interesting! You'd make installing a screw into drywall interesting. Hope you enjoyed your move from MA to NH, loads more room than down here!

[@SilverCymbal]

Very nice of you to say, I really appreciate it

[@mickeymallette2663]

@@SilverCymbal trying to figure out why you still keep the Star Link after watching your other video on the cellular based system

[@SilverCymbal]

@@mickeymallette2663 Good question, I do it for redundancy. There is always a chance one will be out and in my old house I paid $230 to Verizon with TV. Here with Starlink, TMobile and KZbin TV my total is $220. Our internet is our phone too, so the redundance for my job and of course youtube too is important to make sure I can get online.

[@mickeymallette2663]

@@SilverCymbal thank you for taking the time to respond! I live in a rural area, but not as isolated as you. I have I tenet options, but nothing like the speeds you were getting with the cellular box and antenna in your other video. If you had to choose one, which do you think you’d lean towards? The assembly doesn’t bother me. I just need to see what cell towers are close to me.

[@ralphwoodard609]

Just want to say enjoyed watching your video and it’s very easy to follow what you did. Thanks.

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

Bet that tower would look sweet with a Windmill. 🤣

[@SilverCymbal]

I agree, I am looking at some of them, even a small one would be awesome to try out.

[@scratchpad7954]

@@SilverCymbal I agree completely, even if the windmill is small enough to only be able to power your Starlink satellite antenna. However, to be completely safe, I would want a windmill with no less than 50 kW of generating capacity to be able to safely power my house.

[@jcmartinez7527]

It's a wind turbine if it's making electricity. A wind mill is used as a mechanical force to turn something 👍

[@ONERR4RF]

Psh psh feel good psh psh feel good

[@doodlebug6833]

I personally like vertical wind turbines with the helical blade set up. Higher efficiency than standard 3 blade, significantly smaller, and you can stack them on each other. Also advertised to be quieter as well.

[@joemacdonald6312]

Awesome video! Very informative, helpful, and easy to follow along, great job!!

[@SilverCymbal]

Thank you very much

[@AuthenTech]

Beautiful property! 🍂

[@curtisemery807]

Brilliant effort. Especially on your own (plus the odd machine or two). Congratulations from Australia.

[@wenzhong5981]

The setting is beautiful

[@BrilliantDesignOnline]

I added a wx station and a ethernet cable ptz camera, which is great for surveying the yard and checking the sky for weather. I also have an SkyAware ADS-B antenna for seeing the air traffic for 200m radius.

[@AutodidactEngineer]

Honestly I would get a couple more of those tower sections and install them to the point where the tower sits proud over all the vegetation. Absolutely loved the video cheers btw!

[@BrianPhillipsRC]

Awesome video!

[@mueckenhoeffer]

Thanks for posting. Very informative video.

[@terryt2910]

I got a ham tower from my father-in-law when he moved. I put the first two sections into the hole connected together. The next two I put up one at a time with a gin pole I made. It was kind of scary putting heavy sections together at 30 feet, but what an ego boost I got when it was done and working. That was 30nyears ago and instill use it. Starlink is next.

[@augustandmore131]

One of the most cool and entertaining videos I have watched in awhile!

[@GarretL757]

great stuff, Starlink is a gamechanger!

[@matthewdetmers]

I would consider adding optical coupling on the ethernet. A lightning strike may zap any devices directly connected to it. Very insightful install, thank you for sharing!

[@joeglennaz]

Great job I’m impressed. I couldn’t even imagine. Trying to do something like that myself. But I’m not very handy. I’d love to sell my house in Phoenix and maybe sell my rental property and buy something kind of on the outskirts in an area like you are and get it set up so it works totally off grid the solar have some big antennas like that ham radio options, etc. I love you videos. Thank you.

[@vladislavkaras491]

Cool project! Thanks for the video!

[@CGreciful]

Nice! I got a ROHN tower just like this, but I tried it on my roof and zero service issues so now I just a have a functionless pretty tower ha.

[@GurdevSethi]

Be sure to factor in snow and ice shed from the roof. May push on the tower and will for sure push on the wire. Nice video and good luck

[@esmokah]

I have had to fix so many telephone lines due to this and minnesota winters. It was common on mobile homes where the demarc was on a post next to the mobile home and the wire was suspended above ground a foot or two.

[@ArkLord001]

I used to install 35 foot tower antenna's like this and we would assemble the entire tower on the ground and hoist it into place and secure it to the structure (House, garage, etc) and set the base in place with Concrete as it was easier and much faster than trying to put each section on up in the air.

[@tedkay1048]

you said exactly what I was thinking while watching him piece the tower together like leggos. he had fun with big boy equipment, yes? and a rental co got free publicity.

[@drteletubby]

Would love to see a follow up with how this compares to your previous booster setup with T-mobile!

[@SilverCymbal]

As shown in my other video the TMobile is still the fastest for me. It is such a great deal for $55/mo, unbeatable really. My Starlink will be used by my kids and family and also act as a backup for me in case of a TMobile outage, for work I really the backup so this way we can use both of them.

[@drteletubby]

@@SilverCymbal Best of both worlds. Thanks!

[@wdsracer]

You should get your ham radio license. It’s a great hobby. Now you have a antenna tower.

[@xXRedTheDragonXx]

Wow! Amazing tower install! My only suggestion would be for extra stuff to add to the tower, like a CB antenna and/or a VHF/UHF antenna (If you've got your ham ticket or are into scanners of course)!

[@bps3374]

Nice location & Nice Work 👏👍

[@brianmatthews232]

Great video, very well exolained!

[@reallybadaim118]

Excellent Job.

[@rickershomesteadahobbyfarm3291]

This is a nice build. I personally would have put everything together and then stood it up though.

[@Bimboms]

I work for a family office, managing their I.T. across several properties in multiple states. If youre prone to lightning I'd recommend some low voltage arrests at the point of ingress to the structure and at the base of any poles (depending on the distance from the structure). I've seen static discharge from camera poles burn through tens of thousands in hardware carried over low voltage despite proper grounding for the high voltage and grounding rods. After committing to increased low voltage protection, we've mitigated a few strikes, limiting damage to the device at the pole.

[@mattw4211]

That looks great! I’d recommend you put a lightning rod on the top of your tower, just so that lightning strikes the rod, and not your expensive starling dish. Just make sure the rod is higher up than the starling dish!

[@stargazer7644]

If lightning actually hits that rod, the starlink dish is guaranteed to be toast anyway, along with everything in the house it is connected to.

[@Devil914]

Starlink is often used for security and fire panels. I would only know this because, I monitor them. I just learned what a Starlink is because of this video lol.

[@realprojecttools3543]

amazing technology!

[@DCJNewsMedia]

Great video

[@allezvenga7617]

Thanks for your sharing

[@fixitfixitfixit]

Nice work man, gonna install a 65 foot tower soon to solve the same issue.

[@yehnahthx]

Looks great dude! Its fantastic to see old HAM Radio stuff be re-used for modern purposes. Coming from Australia, seeing all those trees so close to your home does make me anxious about bushfires but I guess its less of an issue in your area.

[@court2379]

Doubt it will ever come up again, but maybe for others. You can use a gin pole to raise the next section. Basically you take a long pipe and attach a pulley to one end. Then you strap that pole to the side of your tower so that it extends a bit beyond the length of the next tower section above the existing tower. Using a rope thru the pulley you hoist the next tower section up from the ground. This is best done with two people, one at the top of the tower and one hoisting, and that way the section of tower on the rope is never over anyone's head. Done alone you have to hoist and tie it off and climb under it. Also alone you don't have the ability to lower it into place so would have to leave it a little low and lift it that last few inches. After you install the next section, you unstrap your gin pole and move it up one section to do it again.

[@rawsaucerobert]

Welcome to NH! My buddy has to use Starlink up here cuz he's in the boonies and has big pine trees everywhere, makes it pretty difficult for him to game with us. I think something like this would help a ton.

[@GuyAnthonyDeMarco]

I would also suggest you contact your local ham radio club. You can sometimes get some tower folks to assist or you can borrow tools like a gin pole (for lifting sections). I'd also highly recommend you get a tilting base section so you don't have to climb the tower in the winter.

[@briancasserly9313]

Really appreciate your videos.

[@16nowhereman]

Brilliant! Genius!

[@RalphWalton]

Used the same tower in the Army. I climbed it SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many times. LOL

[@mwolrich]

I’m renting a JLG450 next week to install 180’ of gutter guard around my house & garage, also going to wash the solar panels on the roof, wash the vinyl siding (the area up high), and install an eave mount for my weatherstation (higher up gets it more accurate), was also thinking about tree triming, if time permits (only have it for 2 days)

[@Handyman247llc]

I have built many tower in my youth, I have a 30 ft Rohn 25 tower with a 20ft center mass that holds my punny digital antenna (massive overkill for that antenna, but excellent reception. I wanted to address your method of cementing it in place as I have the same setup attached to house via horizontal mounting bracket to gable end of house. I only needed 6 bags of concrete and 3- 6ft re-reod s to anchor inside the female ends of the base section. I did this for two reasons. 1. it offers excellent support, while making it easy to replace if damage in a storm. 2. when we sell the tower comes down I only have 3 rods to cut flush with cement pad . My grounding rods are placed 6" and 18 " from the pad. redundant in case a bad connection or lightning strike. Nice how to video enjoyed your step by step process.

[@mrmotofy]

Sounds like you set rerod in then set tower on top of cement...not a sturdy connection/base for tower

[@Handyman247llc]

@@mrmotofy The tower doesn't wiggle and has been standing for 12 years. It was a very tight fit to get the bottom section over the re-rod posts, I can not imaging them coming off very easy. nevertheless it works no matter which way its done.

[@coreyrobinson9010]

This video is awesome.

[@collinbeveridge317]

An excellent diy documentary.

[@mrnapolean1]

I did a Tower install for my sister so she can get OTA TV channels. She lives in a area where a standard indoor antenna didnt work due to the fringe signal strength. Once I installed her tower, she now gets TV from both Bryan/Collage Station and Waco TV markets. The only thing I wished i would have done was to put a shaft thru the tower for a rotator install as the antenna needs to be turned a little back to the north for signal improvement. And on top of getting her Antenna elevated (lots and lots of trees and hills) I used a good amplified antenna. Her tower is approx 34 feet. No guy wires and it attached roof level to her house.

[@mackfisher4487]

Great how-to video, and certainly if you got your tower for free renting a mechanical lift is not out of most people's budget. If money is the bottom line consider a tilting tower base plate then one can winch the tower into place also the house bracket will allow one to go 30 feet above the bracket without guy wires. With taller towers the use of the gin pole either homemade or rented is how the tower companies do it there are other KZbin videos showing the use of the gin pole. Rohn style tower using a Gin Pole

[@sintoantonyvellani3506]

Awesome works

[@Wakeywhodat]

I just saw your cell antenna video 2 days ago 😂 Interesting video, thanks. I had to laugh, every time I’m on an extension ladder it seems to be windy. Yesterday it was while I was installing a new mount for my Starlink. The hoist for your application was necessary and in the first scene, it was windy of course! I also just installed 4K video cameras with a recorder (NVR). I live in a very safe area but I consider it another layer of my security system. With night vision, motion activation with an alert to my phone and other devices, not to mention an automatic spotlight and 2 way communication via each camera, very slick!

[@vulonkaaz]

i don't even need this kind of stuff I live in a town with fast optical fiber but now I am obsessed by this kind of big metallic tower I need to own that at some point in my life

[@graciebonsai7272]

Hi, Just a word of caution. As installed, the hollow legs will eventually fill with water. When the water freezes the legs can split above and below grade.

[@robertcranwell7847]

It's suppose to be a concrete pad with bolts buried in the concrete= usually j-bolts then the tower is bolted to that. He completely screwed up burying the bottom of the tower in concrete.

[@graciebonsai7272]

@@robertcranwell7847 Yes indeed! Typically a base plate is used to do just that. After having been in the wireless cable TV industry for 10 years I've seen my share of incorrect ROHN 25G installations and the resultant premature structural failures. Stay safe!

[@graciebonsai7272]

@@robertcranwell7847 Also, to prevent kids from climbing them the lowest section of the tower used anti-climb steel panels attached as a secondary means of deterrence. A perimeter fence was the primary means of deterrence. But when I was a kid it would have been a challenge to overcome both!

[@wallacegrommet9343]

I bet you have! Real men don’t read instructions….

[@moldoveanu8]

@@robertcranwell7847 let's say J bolts are strong enough to hold the tower down during a storm and not crack the concrete. How would you connect them to the tower base? Probably need to make some makeshift adapter with some eye loops for the J bolts to tighten a nut on them. For what it's worth. He could've done worse I guess. I would have probably epoxy coated or filled the interior of the first tower section before slamming it into the hole and filling with concrete. And probably coated the outside with epoxy too after removing any rust spots. But I'd only do that for the bottom part. That should last a lifetime.

[@PhG1961]

Nice job ! Btw, those antenna poles/radio towers need tension cables to secure them during high winds. I've installed many of these, trust me...

[@mrmotofy]

Not that small with a brace to house

[@PhG1961]

@@mrmotofy That depends on the top load. I've seen cases where the small size (2 elements of each 6m/20ft) didn't hold.

[@Rickmakes]

My in-laws rented a boom trailer and we trimmed trees and four different properties. It saved thousands of dollars.

[@SilverCymbal]

Thats awesome. I am disappointed that this was the first time I ever got one of these. Some projects I paid others for only because I hate tall ladders could have been done way cheaper like you described. A little scary at first but good stuff once you get used to it.

[@ricknelson947]

You did a pretty great job. I have nothing to really criticize. Yeah there are things I would do differently, but I’m a perfectionist that have built 100 plus of these towers. I would like to recommend putting a small form at the base and bring the concrete a couple of inches above grade. Otherwise ground moisture will stay by the legs and promote localized rusting. I learned that the hard way. Concerning grounding. Your ground wire from the tower to the rod has two 90 degree turns in it. To a billion volts those 90 degree turns are basically transformers. I suggest connecting the ground higher on the tower and bringing the wire down to the rod at a diagonal. It’s not as pretty, but it will be better protection.

[@SilverCymbal]

I appreciate the feedback on this and I am going to add that concrete collar to it, I totally agree. I will also look into your grounding ideas too. Thanks for the feedback!

[@kencotton4645]

I liked your install. The only thing I would have done differently would be to run conduit from the house to the tower and put another one of those big junction boxes there with the duct seal. Always easier to run conduit now than to have to redo all your wiring to run conduit later. By the way, thanks for the tip on the duct seal. I have a smaller junction box with an open hole at the pole where I installed my dish and I am going to get some duct seal to plug that hole.

[@fmh357]

Thanks, I'm looking at a similar issue.

[@Fahrenheit38]

Man I’d love a tour of the whole home stead

[@markmonse5285]

Great video, and I'm planning to do the same thing, and for the same reasons (TV, VHF, cell booster, windmill) in addition to getting my Starlink antenna higher to clear obstructions. My regs here mandate anything higher than 60ft tall has to have guy wires, with the exception that if secured to a building it can be 65ft tall.

[@guytech7310]

I believe most states & counties restrict towers to 60 feet without a permit or a license.

[@markmonse5285]

Your 60 and 65 foot requirements are indeed the case in Texas..

[@-DexterMorgan-]

love your videos!

[@noodles_GA]

I remember in the early 90’s my dad had a TV antenna installed at our house. Once it was in he had a bunch of dads on the street over to look at it and watch football and it was a day of a bunch of dads grunting at the tower and TV like Tim Allen in Home Improvement. Great memories

[@Al-to8bt]

Thats a nice lighting rod

[@AirborneSapper82]

Great video !!!!

[@geofferydeanjackson9244]

IMHO: You did just fine. The tower installation I would have done a bit differently, but you gave some good advise and some ideas in my head. It's a good install, it's strong and it will last for a long time.

[@krr711]

You lost four feet dry by dropping it in the hole. Now it will get water in it and split. I watched my father make this mistake when I was a child back in the 1960’s. Best to you!

[@juliehenderson1672]

Thank you!

[@SilverCymbal]

You're welcome!