My Tower Is On It's Way!!!! Rohn 25, Self Installed. Insert Comments HERE!

[@slshock]

Thanks for posting. It's a great example of how not to install a tower. Unfortunately, your tower legs are going to rust out right where the bolt holes are under the ground. There's no place for the water to drain and it will collect inside the tower legs and rot them out and being under the ground, you will not know it until the tower crashes down. Of course I'm assuming you also did not put a base of 12-15 inches of washed rock in the bottom of the hole? Because the tower is not on a tilt-over base, the flat side of the tower should go to the roof edge where you could put a support bracket. Anyway, I wish you luck with your project.

[@davep6977]

slshock is 100% correct, plus at 1:15 he also said he buried the base plate. So any drainage is like non existentant. Remedy1 jack hammer cement and start over. Remedy2- remove any chance of legs collecting water. I don't know but Fill them or get a long drill bit and put a drain hole straight out the bottom

[@extreme978]

That design may work in Florida., but up north, you have to have the legs above ground, so the tower can drain. If you don't, water will leak in around the bolts, and fill up the hollow inside of the tower. When it freezes it will bust or crack the tower. I know this from experience. I even stood mine up on angle iron, so the bottom will be open. Then you can raise it with a winch on a picup.

[@owlcricker-k7ulm]

Metal in soil with FL rain equals severe rust issues. It may be best to leave the hole open so it can dry out or extend the bolts and raise the concrete about ground level.

[@rogerp5816]

Doesn't sound like Eric put any crushed stone under the tower so the legs can drain either. With this design no matter how, you try to seal the legs they're going to fill with water and rust out from the inside. The first section joint wants to be at least a foot above grade and the finished concrete wants to be at least four inches above grade so keep standing water away from the legs as much as possible. Amateur radio operator climbing tower with rusted legs equal silent key, and I know of several documented cases. I would suggest reading over the Rohn installation manual and starting over. Florida must be pretty lax is you can erect a forty-foot tower without a building permit from the town or county AND engineering signoff from a certified engineer who's familiar with tower design.

[@TAKEONEURBANPRODUCTION]

He still have water rust the inside of that tower he doesn't drill some holes each leg

[@allanmccullough8550]

I think the legs will be more likely to rust if you don't fill the hole to ground level with concrete .

[@carlossalva9610]

I had a 5 ft piece of 25 that I cemented in the ground with 50 ft stacked. I’m using a gazer so I can just lower the antennas in case of hurricanes. I live right on the coast and my tower never sways thank God! You do you Brother and continue to enjoy the hobby.

[@otrdriver6767]

Thanks for sharing your project with us. What you show my wife and I is appreciated. Thank you.

[@strato-dave]

The problem with the tower base being covered with dirt rather that the concrete above the ground is that the tower legs are going to rust away very quickly.... it's just thin walled pipe.

[@johnblaisdell2179]

Looks better up than lying on the ground. I was just gifted 40 ft of Rohn 25, a Mosley TA33 and a Yaesu G800. I already have a 14 element 2M beam I will put over top the Mosley. So, I will be doing a similar job very soon. Thanks for the inspiration. Keep the great videos coming.

[@mwoliver]

Use stainless steel hardware, paint it heavily, fill with rock for better drainage.

[@HamRadioConcepts]

Thank you,. I am going to do exactly what you said.

[@machfive916]

Excellent advice.

[@bruehlt]

Regardless of the other technical stuff regarding the tower itself - in the future you should look at getting a short load of ready mix concrete delivered vs doing it by hand. I ordered a 1/3 cubic yard from a company locally and it was SO much easier than trying to haul and mix bags. Not much more expensive either.

[@owlcricker-k7ulm]

Contact the tower manufacturer for suggestions. Fl rain, metal, and soil equals rust out quickly. Above ground only

[@HamRadioConcepts]

I see these comments, going to think about heavy epoxy paint, stainless hardware and rocks instead of soil.

[@owlcricker-k7ulm]

@HamRadioConcepts good options. Manufacturer may have more ideas. Nice to have a tower. Good for you.

[@TexasEngineer]

As a former ROHN engineer, I can tell you they are not interested in getting involved in this mess. They have enough liability. My prediction, it will rust below ground and fall down and the tower may hit the house. I hope he never climbs it. He may ride it down to the ground. I could tell him how to install it but he does not listen to other people.

[@boblaporte7500]

Hello Eric, I have installed my tower a long time ago the same way as this and the mistake here is that you should add concrete a few inches above the soil level . I have berried mine and it had badly rusted at the bottom. If you frame a box and pour more this will resolve the rusting issue. Mine was also guided and we had a tornado here and it did not hold ! it ended up broken in the swimming pool 🙂 I had no choice to claim insurance for house damage and the tower ! put a ground rod in the soil beside the base . using a rod true concrete is not suggested. If a lightning strike a ground rod in the concrete block, it will crack it . just my opinion have a good one Va2Bik

[@RadioWhisperer]

This is absolutely correct. You don't want the ground rod to go through the concrete of the base. First lightning strike and the base could burst. Basically, the current of the lightning bolt gets the rod so hot and moisture in the concrete boils and expands so fast that the base cracks and no longer does its job. Also, are the tower legs able to drain onto pea stone or something similar? If not, condensation forms inside the legs when the tower is cold, which runs down, doesn't drain and rusts out the bottom of the legs. We had a fatality here in NH a few summers ago from exactly this.

[@HamRadioConcepts]

@@RadioWhisperer That rod in the middle is NOT the ground rod, its just to bolt the center of that mounting plate to the concrete with that 6 foot threaded rod.

[@rohnkd4hct260]

Dude, looks good to me! I am disabled and been trying to get people to help me get just some “wire in air.” After 4 years, still waiting! Yeah, do it yourself. Good job!

[@machfive916]

Wow. This is definitely a labor of love, and it look great so far. Excited for you.

[@sporsterini]

Looks like a ggod start. I use 40 ft of rohn 20 unguyed. But my base is 4' x 4' x4' with rebar. My slab is above ground a few inches.

[@melissasmess2773]

Sometimes it’s better to get it done then look at it for another two years. Congratulations! ‘73

[@franciscolopez3229]

I like that, rather than stare at ground to where to errect your antenna tower, just go for it and put it up. Just saw myself when I read your comment. Lol...

[@HamRadioConcepts]

Thank you.. THAT was my EXACT thought LOL.

[@EricWS4K]

Just put a Rohn House bracket on it. It wont go anywhere. I had a 40 ft Rohn 25 up that way for years in my first house in Cocoa. You will be surprised how well it works. I had a Mosley TA33M 3 element triband and a Hustler G6 2M on top. I worked the world with that set up. I'm currently installing a 40ft Rohn 55G with a Mosley Pro 67B on top. Let me know if you need a gin pole. I'm just up the street in the Bay. 73 de WS4K

[@jdschauss]

That MFJ Cobweb antenna will do spectacular work on a tower at that height, then put your 2m/440 antenna atop the cobweb. Easy resonant 2m/440 and 6-40, then you can hang a resonant fan 80-160 fan dipole underneath it for NVIS. No need for a tuner! Forty foot freestanding Rohn tower is hard to mess up, so stop worrying yourself about not overengineering it and get some wire in the air! Congratulations on getting your tower work done, and I'm looking forward to your next video showing what you decide to put on it. -K5SFC

[@radiohobbyist13]

The last time that I checked on the price of ordinary TV tower it was so outrageous that I immediately changed my mind about it. Back in CB days it was something like $35 for a 10 foot section. 😔

[@LordAlexVSWild]

you should have filled it the rest of the way with concrete. the dirt living on the steel will eventually rust it out in that 12" between the concrete and ground. last tower like that i put up was engineered for a 3x3x4 hole and attached to steel building at 12'. when erecting a tower, USUALLY you would perfectly align 2 tower legs with north. i hope you had a lot more rebar in that hole than just the couple pieces you mentioned. you need to have a whole cage inside. if not it will just break in half and you wont have a 6' base, but maybe a 3' base with only a single threaded rod attaching everything

[@stevenlechner]

You placed tower below grade... that's a no no

[@turtlekoff1]

Looks great YZI. To be safe you may want to use the Rohn bracket and bolt that bottom section to the facia. Wish I had a spot for a tower!

[@Toner-N1SWT]

Good luck Eric. I have faith in you. 73 Buddy!

[@mountainslimb8911]

I like it, it’ll work fine as long as you mitigate the water consumption with some gravel, and maybe paint up the bottom with some heavy duty enamel or rubber paint.

[@mikeingeorgia1]

This video isn’t that old so you can probably still do some additional work to it to help it out. I’ve installed so many road crossings and signals that I don’t even know how many I’ve installed, for perspective. On all of them though, the concrete always protrudes up above the ground. You might be alright if you made a form and added concrete til it’s about 6” or so above the grade, just to keep moisture from collecting around the base. You could probably add guy wires out away from the house so it doesn’t fall onto the house, but I don’t think I’d connect that tower to the house itself. If you feel like railfanning for an afternoon, just drive around and check out some road crossings and signal installations. That would give you a pretty good idea of how those are installed. They use huge, precast pieces of concrete under the ground (mostly), with very large bolts running up through them. The nuts are tightened by hand, using bf crescent wrenches. I have NEVER heard of one falling over.

[@daveengstrom9250]

Its been 11 months now. How is it holding up? By the way, its PLUMB, not level. Level is horizontal.

[@n5syr01]

Turn the tower 1/3 of a turn, raise the concrete AND baseplate ABOVE grade, box top of hole and fill concrete to top of form and slope down from center out, mount baseplate with J-bolts and level off the form. Rebar cage in the hole, and possibly gravel in the bottom. At the least, flair the bottom of the hole outward.

[@howardiko7156]

Well as you said there are soo many things wrong with this there is so litle space and time to say it all.

[@achamin1]

You did a fine Job , you could have done the tower above ground to avoid rusting and for easy maintenance,

[@robertosborn8720]

The above ground concrete is so that the legs don't fill with water and rust out from the inside, nor freeze and burst in cold climates. otherwise - good.

[@W5KJD]

We used 960 lbs of concrete on my 60 foot tower very amateur project but it worked. Lol

[@n3ljs399]

In hind sight….. i would of mounted a piece of 1 5/8 uni-strut on the house and used conduit straps. Spun it around so two legs would hit the strut. But I am sure what you have done will work out for you. . I made a pole tower out of conduit 20+ years never welded in my life. Thought it would come down in the first big storm. But it still standing and solid as a rock . GL 73 N3LJS

[@GaryLordsWayMinistry]

I always raise my foundations six inches above the existing ground and taper the top of them so they do not hold water to keep the base from rusting, due to excessive water standing on the top of the peer.

[@kriskomorowski7283]

Hey Eric always enjoy your videos. If I may make a suggestion you might want to paint the tower that is under the ground to extend the life of it. I don't live in Florida but I am not sure I would cable to the tree, if that goes it will take down your tower. Keep up the great videos and keep it real thanks.

[@botiemaster3356]

I'm currently installing a rohn tower for starlink. I'm watching videos trying to see what others have done to get the tower leveled without any aid from houses. The search continues!

[@HamRadioConcepts]

Starlink will work on the ground, why the Rohn tower for it?

[@SloMo74]

Well if they are like me it needs to be higher to clear obstructions like trees

[@davidc5027]

Congratulations, I'm sure it is going to be a good addition and open up some options when it comes to antenna's. Now if you slap a ground mounted vertical against it, then I'm going to be disappointed. Otherwise have fun putting it together and eventually operating.

[@Q12_]

Excited to see it going

[@captdaveclearedtoland8876]

Oh, by the way, I am using ham radio prep for my amateur extra. I just started it this week.

[@byronbrake3620]

looks good man you use a bit crush stone the water will wick away so far so good this vo1obb

[@AAPSG]

Keyboard warriors will always be out there, just ignore them, you're doing just fine

[@n3ljs399]

I would build a frame above the ground and pour some more concrete. Exposed metal and sandy ground is not good. Plus you can write you callsign in the concrete…lol😂

[@richarde735]

maybe add expanding foam to fill the hole up above grade. that will shed the water and make it easier to get to those bolts if you had to. a drywall saw cuts through foam like butter.

[@justsayingforafriend7010]

That tower will snap in half before that foundation moves. I did mine the same way. It's fine....

[@ClassicClay104]

Looking forward to see what you put on the tower! 73!

[@snowbird29803]

Why no short base section (which should protrude above concrete)? House bracket?

[@captdaveclearedtoland8876]

Where is Jimmy Hoffa? Great job Eric that tower will last you for ever and ever good enough for what you’ll ever need it for and the price was right. Good job on the hard work man. Good job.

[@Kd4stt.]

Great first time job!

[@bigchew3149]

i have had a tower up sense i was a very young teen 2.5ft-3ft in dirt tamped down good & 2-3 sets of guy wires & i Have Never Had One Come Over.. My Last one i had up was Rohn 25 @70Ft 2.5ft n the Ground with 3 sets of guy wires & it had a Set of moonracker4's on it with a Ham IIII Rotator it was up for 5-6 Years Until Straight Line Winds Broke It at About the 30ft mark But Never Ever Nothing about the Ground depth or Dirt ! n my 35ish Years of installing Towers for me or my Radio Buddy's & I Say You Do not Have A Thing To Worry About With Yours what so ever..Just Enjoy it ! o & i am Hoping to Up Grade my Ticket bfor long..i just have so much trouble remembering it all long enough to take the test again..lol. !

[@hamradiohef]

I would fill to the top with concrete and drill new holes for drainage so it doesn't rust, break off and fall down.

[@Airwaves-Radio]

I am at the same exact step in erecting my tower, and have been for almost two years. How do you plan to install the remaining sections? Since your tower is up against the house, you could slide the next section up onto the roof and probably mount it without too much trouble, but what about the third section? Unfortunately, my tower is not up against my house, so I can't add the second section that way. I'm assuming that I'll need a bucket truck or some other machinary to mount the additional sections. That's why it's been at a standstill.

[@markmanning5683]

Drainage and Rust are going to be your issues, but you already know this. If you choose to remove the tower, at least you can cover the pad up with dirt and no one would know. You could Fill the remainder of the hole with more concrete and slight grade for water drainage away from the tower and house.

[@mitchmitchell7470]

Sorry to hear about your cat, I lost mine after 17 years a few weeks ago.

[@AdamBoettiger]

Looks great! Only things I can see is that the slab should be above ground by 4-6”, you don’t have a level strapped to it while the concrete sets, and haven’t grounded it yet. What do you plan to run for an antenna on it? Adam W7MP

[@robertmeyer4744]

that ok having concert below grade. you have enough for support. now use stainless steel hardware and either use undercoating on tower base that below grade or some kind of rust proofing . then get some small gravel for drainage fill the hole up . should be good. drive some 8 ft UL listed copper ground rod or 2 in for grounding and ground base of tower . the rods from Home Depot are great. Thay are UL and have that stamped in the rod and are tinned to help corrasion. as a electrician is what I use fore NEC . I keep my ground rods below grade use UL ground rod clamp. #4 copper THHN green wire . after connection's spray some primer over just the confection . then fill with dirt. there is more than 1 type of ground. 1 is lightning protection. the outher is electric power safety ground. that is the ground pin on a outlet. then you have the RF ground . watch ground wire lengths . not to make a radiating element. This will couple RF and can cause problems . I got ferrite placed on my ground wires that are power ground . this also helps with EMP currents as well. much more on this on youtube just search for it. 73's

[@DK5ONV]

Looking good 💯👌🙋‍♂

[@AdamBoettiger]

What did you end up putting on top of this, and do you still use your AV680?

[@Joe-KN4IFI]

At 40 feet tall tower you have done a great job and its not going anywhere. What antenna you going to put on top? 73 Joe

[@1crazynordlander]

I installed a self supporting tower next to my house like that and one night I came home in the dark I spotted eyeballs moving around reflecting from my car lights and they disappeared into my chimney. It was a family of raccoon. I moved the tower far away from the new house we built on our property .

[@ronleblanc9832]

i would also brace it at the eve so that would only leave 30 ft above

[@30pvfd]

Now the fcc new rules to radio freq exposure on antenna you’ll have to figure 😮

[@mylesl2890]

speak to a pe or twr manufacture. perhaps a house. bracket at the top will help the turning moment if needed, and you can discuss. proper perm guys and lightning protection :). congrats!!

[@K7CARadio]

Congrats, it's finally going up. WAHOO!.......Please, don't guy it off to the palm tree. If that blows over it will take your tower with it. I would have used the roof eve and built a heavy duty bracket plate on 2 legs. You could still do that on one leg, but won't be as strong. As far as insurance, If you don't have a permit, with engineered plans forget about coverage. LOL What antennas are you putting on the tower?........You could be grossly over or under engineered depending on the wind load. From the looks of your soil I would not go too big. Can always add a set of philly strand guys at 30 ft. for added safety. If the tower falls what will it hit?.......If it can reach a neighbors property line then stop right there. Rohn has an excellent catalog of engineered tower installations. FL with all your hurricanes is a disaster waiting to happen. GL 73

[@HamRadioConcepts]

I only thought about a 2 meter beam, my weather station, TV antenna, a couple wire dipoles, and a vertical. NO beams or anything heavy.

[@koenblomme1553]

i think u did a great job !

[@kccountrykid]

Where did you purchase your Rihn antenna? Was it directly from the manufacturer?

[@nivid01]

I am bewildered that so many DIY tower installers don’t comprehend that the concrete foundation MUST be poured so that when it is finished, it is at least 100mm above the ground for water drainage!!!

[@HamRadioConcepts]

I have already fixed it, just waiting to finish to make a video... I listened to everyone, sorry I was inexperienced, but I listened and learned

[@Bubba1661]

Eric, I've been working on my Tower too.

[@HamRadioConcepts]

Hell yah man, just do it. Don't let it sit there like mine did on the side of the house.

[@tomsherwood4650]

I was given tower sections but I am not up to digging a deep hole and setting a base by myself. And even though I am near a city I cannot find anyone that does that sort of thing anymore. One place claims to do ant. and tower installs for TV but will not call back. I guess they are really not in the business or something? I don't even have trees to support a wire here. And I guess RS was the last place that sold those long steel tubular mast sections. Now all you can find is expensive 5 ft sections, and not many. With OTA TV gone, resources are scarce.

[@nc4tn]

Your base is fine Eric. Are you bracketing to your house or guying? The thing to remember is that Rohn 25 is NEVER self-supporting at any height.

[@boatsyoung]

Good to see you alive and enjoying life my friend!! 73 KJ7MMX

[@markhardy6738]

Hole 5 ft deep and it should be about 4 ft x 5 ft wide all depends how high you go.

[@lizzyfan1986]

Concrete should of come above ground and, without proper guying, wouldn't put anything heavier than a hex beam

[@brucerobson8284]

Your gutter is going to get a little mashed where it touches the tower, but that’s minor enjoy your tower.

[@HamRadioConcepts]

Thanks Bruce, I thought about that too, but fk it. the tower will be up, right?

[@michealcade7313]

Hello again Eric. Awesome job brother. We all know you work and then come home. And work more. Time gets away from us. Your only going up from here ..

[@BrooklynNYCigarKing]

Hey… If it works, it works. It ain’t always pretty.

[@HouseOfThe8Strings]

It’s AMATEUR radio. Looks great! Ain’t no way it will fall.

[@rickbattle5706]

Looks good to me. It won't go anywhere. Good job.

[@richarde735]

Southern Engineers do things differently… # 1 Priority - will the Deer Stand hang on it?

[@HamRadioConcepts]

I'll let you know when I make the video next month as I'm hanging from it up top. Will advise. :)

[@BornAgain717]

Fill it with rocks instead of throwing dirt over top of it it'll drain way better.

[@HamRadioConcepts]

Understood. Multiple comments suggest this. I will do that.

[@barryinn1778]

Eric, you never said how high will it be.

[@iPigee]

How tall will it be?

[@freddysamson1]

As deep as your base is and no higher than the 35 feet or so of tower you have above the ground there is no need for any guys.

[@johnforte3466]

Big tactical error. May it all be good.

[@nandrews8412]

I like to cheat and throw in scrap bricks and concrete chunks as filler to save on concrete cost.

[@rickeaton5288]

Where is the wall bracket ?

[@EJ42955]

Towers are plumb, not level.

[@DC78539]

700 lbs of concrete installed the way you did is almost worthless. Good luck

[@HamRadioConcepts]

I put over 1000 pounds, and there will only be a couple wires on it and a VHF yagi. No wind load really. It will be fine

[@2509498788]

Very study,,

[@dave-wk4t]

Crap!!! About TIME!!!!

[@RobertJohnson-bl3gn]

The ground rod in concrete base bad idea

[@dennismccolley1380]

You stainless steel bolts

[@bobs152]

Eric, no matter how it was done someone who is so much smarter than you will explain your error...🏴‍☠