Putting up a Tower the Right Way (074b)

[@Blutnase]

This is the most comprehensive explanation on the subject I have ever heard. KZbin (and this video) is fantastic.

[@eie_for_you]

Thank you so much! 🙂

[@REXOB9]

Thanks for a great, informative video.

[@eie_for_you]

You are very welcome! 🙂

[@ricdonato4328]

Impressive video.

[@eie_for_you]

Thank you! 🙂

[@toddshook1765]

Thank you for breaking it down for tower install. I have a 40foot Rohn 25 tower that has been laying down for 10 years. I have watered it and has not grown any higher. Hihi We have high winds here in high desert of So Calif so going to make sure on manufacture website exactly is needed and get an expert to install. Think I will take apart further, clean connections, and get all new nuts/bolts.

[@eie_for_you]

You are very welcome! The reason it didn't grow any taller is that it needs a little Miracle Grow and some protein ... a large prime rib would do, eh? 🤣 Yes, take it apart, clean and grease connections. Most hams do not put the grease on the connections, so yours might be a bit of a challenge to get apart if that is the case there. Have fun growing your tower! ;-)

[@JanJeronimus]

Thank you for this great video. If you want to put multiple antennas in a tower can you just add up the values for the antennas in the calculation or are there other things you need to consider?

[@eie_for_you]

Thankfully, when it comes to wind load, the numbers are simply additive. However, do not forget the R.F. interaction between antennas. If resonant guy wires can affect antenna performance, then resonant antennas can, too. Some antenna are more sensitive to this interaction than others. 🙂

[@diggernash1]

My granddad, a WWII radio operator, had a 60' tower with a big antenna on top(I know almost nothing about radio tech). He had a second 60 amp utility supply in his 1951 house with much of it dedicated to his radio equipment. I won't know the details, but the amp was "special" according to him. It was vacuum tubes and had a lot of work done to it. He had thumb tacks all over the Eastern US. The FCC showed up after cellphones came to our area. They said he was drowning out everything and was far outside the allowed wattage. He was old and decided to tear it down and quit transmitting all together.

[@diggernash1]

@eie_for_you He'd had it up for years. It was the change in the monetization of the frequency bands. We're Appalachian riff raff any way, so cooperating willingly with the government preemptively was not in his blood...lol

[@eie_for_you]

WOW!

[@eie_for_you]

@@diggernash1 🙂

[@Wandering_Horse]

Your videos are inspiring, I am applying for a radio technician job tomorrow. One of the requirements is to obtain a tower climbing certification within 6 months. Tower climbs up to 100ft are a requirement as well as a FCC GROL license. I am going for it despite not having near enough experience, but you can't get what you don't pursue!

[@eie_for_you]

Thank you! One thing I can say about tower climbing is that is ends up being a good leg and core workout. You spend any amount of time hanging on the side of a tower and you will notice it when you get back to the ground! Enjoy, pursue and be safe! 🙂

[@jameski5oeb668]

Great job, thank you!!

[@eie_for_you]

Thank you! 🙂

[@BVN-TEXAS]

I just put up a ROHN RSL self standing 60 foot here on the Galveston gulf coast behind my bay house. The base ended up being to be able to handle any hurricanes that may come. But I don’t regret it at all except the cost of the tower lol. My wallet still hurts from that one.

[@eie_for_you]

I have a self-supporting tower (U.S. Tower), too. I don't like guy wires. It telescopes down to 22 feet and then tips over for antenna maintenance. Almost no tower climbing needed. Not a cheap install ... or tower, but worth every penny. 🙂

[@Ibrahim-rc8sn]

Great video bud

[@eie_for_you]

Thanks! 🙂

[@1958johndeere620]

I have 2 rohn 25 G towers. One 75 feet, and one 55 feet, no climber required,,,, they both tilt over. I am scared of heights, so I designed and built my own tilt bases equipped with their own support and winch assemblies. I can lower them by myself.

[@eie_for_you]

Sounds like an interesting installation. 🙂

[@davidwilson4808]

First decide what antennas you might want to have for the next several years. Then start the procedure of finding what is appropriate to support the weight / wind load. Many people overload towers and then figure out what was needed after a bad day. Find someone that has put in a number of sites to bounce plans off of. Feedlines and other hardware are also part of the load. Be sure to plan on grounding the antennas and the tower properly.

[@eie_for_you]

Good advise. Plan for the future beyond current "need" because you can get down the road a little ways and wish you did it differently. 🙂

[@mikesradiorepair]

Only thing I would disagree with it that you can't use synthetic rope for guys. Yes you can, it's common in the commercial world. A large percentage of broadcast towers installed these days use synthetic guys. Phillystran HPTG-I high performance tower guys are the type I use and recommend to customers. I have seen it used on commercial broadcast towers over 1,000 feet tall.

[@eie_for_you]

I appreciate this point of view and I have absolutely no doubt that what you say is true. 😁 However, this is not what the Rohn folks recommend for erecting their Rohn 25G towers in the documentation they provide. This video presents the recommendations as provided by the folks that designed the tower in that documentation. If, on the other hand, the Rohn folks gave assent to the use of this synthetic guys, then I'd enthusiastically tell folks to go for it, but only after consulting them on my choice of material. 🙂

[@BVN-TEXAS]

There is nothing wrong with Phillystran but the issue is hams are not the best at taking care of things. Phillystran doesn’t have the service life of traditional guy wires do.

[@mikesradiorepair]

@@BVN-TEXAS They have been making synthetic guy's for decades. There are plenty of commercial towers that have been guyed for over 40 years with it. I have never seen one fail before. Something I can not say about EHS steel cables.

[@BVN-TEXAS]

@ my point was they need to be inspected more, are more subject to damage, and the biggest issue they are much less tolerant of sloppy installation when compared to traditional guys. Look don’t get me wrong. I think Phillystrand is great. You don’t have the issues with it causing issues with your long wire antennas nearby. I a, juts saying it’s not for the sloppy, lazy or cheap ham.

[@mikesradiorepair]

@@BVN-TEXAS LOL, I would have to agree with you there. Though I don't know if I would say they are more subject to damage. Since they have Kevlar in them they are very cut resistant. It's rope so it's much less easily damaged by impact. It's not steel so it's rust proof and excels in adverse conditions around salt water. And it actually stretches less than steel once tensioned. It has a very high elasticity modulus.

[@olduhfguy]

My 199-footer was cowboy erected , so as a result many elements of it are over-engineered. Fortunately I am aware of the under-engineered components, and pay close attention to them. It's erected far away from property lines and structures (besides the shack) and has been up for over 27 years including the 1998 ice storm without a hiccup.

[@eie_for_you]

It is cool that your installation has survived that ice storm. That is really tough on antennas. The major concern for all of this concrete that the manufacturer requires has to do with wind load capacity. There, you cannot be too careful, from my perspective. Hurricanes, high wind events like the derecho that went through southeast Iowa a few years ago. It took out all sorts of infrastructure. 🙂

[@AvocaSingleTrack]

25 and 45 do not look almost identical . They are very different even to the naked eye . 45 is wider

[@eie_for_you]

Without measuring or having something to compare it to, their basic construction remains pretty much the same. In that sense, yes, they are pretty much the same to the naked eye and for the less informed. This is why I say for folks to go back to the drawings and verify that you have what you think you have. 🙂

[@Ibrahim-rc8sn]

I'm not sure if this is legal in europe

[@eie_for_you]

I'm sure it is as I am aware of several really awesome European stations with some pretty impressive towers. 🙂

[@gi7kmc]

Can't speak for all of Europe but a tower is possible in the UK. You will probably need to apply for planning permission.

[@eie_for_you]

@@gi7kmc Yep! I thought so. There are some pretty impressive German stations that I've heard of, too. 🙂

[@tomgburklin1112]

WB5QXH - good video -

[@eie_for_you]

Thanks, man! 🙂