The votes are in and String Man defeated Transit Man 11 - 1 making me
suspicious that Transit Man logged the one vote under an alias in an attempt
to offset the cost of 807's.
Thanks for your votes and contributions. Four alternate recommendations were
received, they are:
1. Just eyeball down two of the legs and repeat the process.
2. I used a similar method, only I used three 2 x 4s approximately 24" long
nailed together to form a U shape, with the inside distance of between the
legs of the U the same as the outside distance of two tower legs, Rohn 45G
in this case. I fastened three lengths of string to the U frame; one on the
inside of each leg of the U, & one to the center of the U. The lengths of
the strings were appropriate for the distance from the tower base to the
guy anchor posts. The two outside strings fastened to the outside tower
legs, while the center string went to the center leg. By carefully pulling
the strings taught against the first section of tower (already in place)
with the 2 x 4 U frame & keeping the outside strings against the inside of
the U frame legs, I could find the necessary center of the anchor post
hole. I used a heavy weight to hold the U frame/string apparatus in place
on the ground while I marked "the spot" with a stake. A tape measure was
also used to match the distance between strings to ensure the proper
centering.
I found digging the hole with similar accuracy much more difficult than
locating "the spot", even with a small tractor & post hole auger.
3. I used a modified string system, partly because I wanted to try a new toy-
a water hose leveling system, and partly because my ground slopes.
I made a string set up with a hook on one end and a loop on the other-
hooked the line to a leg and drove a grounding rod ( just a short distance)
in the loop. Did this four times, eyeballed as Steve mentioned. Note- this
was for a fold-over tower, that (per Rohn specs) uses FOUR guys. I made a
string gadget that had four equal legs to make sure it was a square I Used
the level to mark a spot on each ground rod level with a spot on the tower.
Then I pulled the guy tight so it passed the mark on the rod and marked the
spot on the ground where I wanted the anchor to enter. It seems to have
worked.
4. This is from a former contractor who did major work in Chicagoland.
I did a lot of layout and used this system on previous tower installations.
Cheap and accurate.
Get one of those cheap laser level/pointers.
Get two 1/2 boards about 3' long.
Place them parallel to each other and camp them with wood spacers equal to
the diameter of a tower leg.
This will look like:
-----------------
-------
-----------------
Slide the gapped part from one tower leg through to the other side.
Lay your laser/pointer on the spacer. (beam pointing away from the tower) HI
REMEMBER: DO NOT LOOK INTO LASER BEAM WITH REMAINING GOOD EYE!!!!
Take a stick high enough to receive the laser spot and when you have the
spot on the stick, pound it in the ground.
Use a tape measure from tower to make all three/four sticks equal in length.
This is a lot easier and less bother than a transit or using strings,
especially if there is bushes/trees in the area.
I've done this a couple of times and it's REAL quick and accurate.
Thanks again for the votes and recommendations. Now we see if Transit Man
pays off his loss.
73,
Jack W0UCE
--
FAQ on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions: towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests: towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems: owner-towertalk@contesting.com
Search: http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search.htm
|