Jason:
My comments included, below.
73 de
Gene Smar AD3F
-----Original Message-----
From: Jason Hissong <jhisson1@columbus.rr.com>
To: TOWERTALK@contesting.com <TOWERTALK@contesting.com>
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Thursday, October 03, 2002 10:42 PM
Subject: [Towertalk] First Tower
>Hi gang...
>
>Thanks to the ham that pointed me in the direction of searching the list.
>Got alot of good information. I am debating between a Trylon and a
>Universal Tower. Some questions I have (and I am sure I will have more as
>my project gets going).
>
>1. The Trylon Tower seems like the best deal. How long does it take to get
>one shipped?
It took one month for me to receive my Trylon T-500-64 after I placed
the order.
>
>2. I will be digging the hole soon. I have to put it in the back yard
>behind the garage. I have a large tree with tree roots that I am bound to
>run into when digging. What would be the best solution to get this hole
>dug?
If the tree is so close that you are running into its roots, you ought to
consider removing the tree. My tower is in my back yard, amongst several
mature trees, but the roots I ran into were small. The tree trunks were at
least ten to fifteen feet away from the hole.
I thought about having a backhoe come in, however, I do not want to
>destroy the lawn getting it back there. Is there anything I can rent to
>help with this? Or elbow grease the best way to go about this?
I rented something called a Georgia Buggie for my concrete, but the truck
driver was able to drive up next to the hole - between the above-mentioned
trees - and pour directly. I didn't use the machine (There goes $200!) The
buggie was easy to maneuver in my back yard (my 14-year-old daughter had fun
driving it before the day of the pour), but many on this reflector will tell
you it is unstable on bumpy ground. I might agree. You'd have to move very
slowly with this gasoline-driven machine.
>
>3. What would the cost be for 6 cu yards of concrete? Again, I do not want
>the truck to back up into the lawn if at all possible, I do not know how
>much work wheelbarrelling that much concrete be :)
My foundation took 10.5 cuyds of concrete. I dug the hole a little larger,
and the yard slopes a bit, so I had to build a fairly tall concrete cap
above ground. All of this required a lot of concrete.
Costs vary all over the place, depending on where you live. My cost
(Wa$hington, D.C.) was about $95/cuyd (I think.) Others on the reflector
will probably tell you less.
>From what I learned practive-driving the Georgia buggie and watching the
amount of concrete being dumped into this mammoth hole in my yard, I might
STILL be there with a wheelbarrow. If you have to go this route, have
several (MANY!) friends with their own wheelbarrows around to help.
Otherwise you will be charged for wait time by the truck driver. I was told
when I ordered my concrete that the driver would have only one hour to dump
the load before they'd charge me extra $$.
Part of the cost for my tower installation was lots of grass seed. Damage
really wasn't too bad from the cement truck, but the backhoe really dug into
the soil while the driver maneuvered around my yard.
>
>4. I read in Universal Towers information that you can put the tower up
>after 3 to 4 days after the concrete being poured. Is this ok for the
>Trylons?
Concrete cures almost forever. That is, it is ALWAYS getting stronger. The
trick is to wait until it's strong enough to support your antenna load. I
waited four days before I removed the wooden forms from my concrete cap (it
shaped the concrete top into a nice, flat square shape). Then I began to
assemble the tower one section at a time. I think this entire process took
me over a month of half-hearted work in the late afternoons and evenings in
the summer of 2001. So by the time the tower was complete, the concrete had
been curing for about two months. THEN I had help putting on the mast,
antennas, etc.
>
>5. I think I am going with the 56' Tower... T300... for 999.00 that seems
>like a good deal! I have an 11 element 2M beam that I will be putting on
>top... what type of separation should I have between the HF beam (an MQ34R
>from TGM Communications) and the 2M beam?
Can't help you here.
>
>6. How cold can I have concrete poured? I will not have the final approval
>until November 21st. However, I may be able to get the based dug and
poured
>before then (the guy who is responsible for variance approvals stated that
>as long as I put the tower behind the house that it will be approved. I
may
>have to stay under 50' though).
Concrete can be poured all year 'round, if the batch plant knows what it's
doing. Talk to the folks where you might order your concrete and see what
they say.
As Louie B. Mayer (of Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) studios) once said a long
time ago, "Oral contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on!" I
knew that lots of hams here in my county had gotten antennas approved, but I
decided to get my entire permit FIRST before I ordered the tower, etc.
YMMV.
>
>7. Is it worth it? Hehehhee... just kidding... an HF beam at 58' should be
>a far cry from my dipole at 40'!!!
You betcha! Go get 'em.
>
>Thanks guys!! I appreciate your time and patience with these obvious
>questions...
>
>Wish me luck with city council!!!
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>AN Wireless Self Supporting Towers at discounted prices,
>See http://www.mscomputer.com
>
>Wireless Weather Stations now $349.95. Call Toll Free,
>888-333-9041 for additional information.
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