Frank T. Brady wrote:
>
> Ron, which Force 12?
> Any comments you have on how you made the choice would also be welcome!
>
> 73, and GOOD LUCK on the rest of the tower!
>
> Frank - W0ECS
>
> Reply via the list if you will (I'm sure there will someone who benefits
> from the story).
Hi Frank,
I live in a very winda area. The Sierra crest is just to the west about
ten miles. It goes from about 5000' here to 10,000' in one hump! Just on
the other side is Lake Tahoe.
The winds come over the crest at well over 150 mph! (I know this well,
because
I take care of a weather station on the top of that ridge. Winds have
been
clocked over that now and then!)
They loose a lot before they get here, but will still go over 100 mph a
few
times a year. Last year was kinda calm.....don't think we had anything
over
80 mph here in this part of the valley. :-)
Snow and ice are not too bad. 2 to 3 foot of snow is about normal for a
"big"
storm. Not much ice at all.
So, having watched my TH3 MK3 blow apart at 40' at another qth not far
from
here, I thought I'd go with something that likes wind!
And I wanted at least 2 ele on 40m.
Also needed to stay below 10 sq ft of wind load.
The Force12 and Mosley came to the top. But the Mosley cost more than I
could afford and it was too big for my rotor. That would mean another
$500 to use it!
So I wound up with the C4SXL /H. Rated at 120 mph. Weight is something
like
68 lbs in the heavy configuration. No clamps to come loose sounds
nice too. I like rivets and use lots of them at work. They are easy
to remove when necessary.
I run mostly QRP. And have only had 5 or maybe 10 QSOs using SSB. I like
contesting, DXing and rag chewing. Durability is above preformance here.
Plus Gerald at Texas Towers had lots of nice things to say about them
and
so have others.
So I paid my money and am taking my chances!! But I'll also add that Tom
from
Force12 has been right there to answere any questions so far and I'm
sure
I'll keep him busy while I'm getting all ten million parts put
togeather!!
cul,
Ron, KU7y
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