In a message dated 10/1/03 8:10:33 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
ab2os@optonline.net writes:
> Looking to put up a 40' to 50' unguyed tower in an area where one has to
> allow for 80mph winds (Ottowa county, W. Michigan). I probably will not
> put up a lot of antennas at first -- just an HF beam (perhaps a 3el. or
> 4el. SteppIR) with a 2m/440 vertical above it -- but I'd like to keep my
> options open.
>
> The makes of tower I've investigated are US Tower, Trylon, and AN Tower.
> Which is the most reliable? Which is the best value for money, taking
> into account the shipping charges as well? -- e.g., Trylon's US
> distributor has a fixed shipping charge no matter what size tower and
> where in the US it's going.
>
Hi, Alan --
I'm a leading distributor of Trylon towers in the US - <A
HREF="http://www.championradio.com";>www.championradio.com</A>. I'm also a
professional tower
and antenna installer with experience on over 180 amateur installations and
dozens of commercial ones. Here's my professional and only slightly biased
perspective.
US TOWER - They are the 800 pound gorilla but they make a very good product
and generally have excellent customer service. Crank-up towers are the most
expensive antenna support structure you can buy and they are complex
electro-mechanical devices (which admittedly are pretty darn safe and reliable)
but
require periodic preventive maintenance.
AN TOWERS - These are medium- to heavy-duty structures. IMO they are overkill
for most amateur installations. Their rotator plate weighs 35 pounds. There's
no need for it to be so heavy. OTOH they are your basic battleship in terms
of materials.
TRYLON TITANS - These are light- to -medium-duty towers. They are THE BEST
VALUE in a tower because 1) they're made in Canada and we get great exchange
rate pricing and 2) they're perfectly adequate for just about any amateur
application.
Most hams want to maximize what they get while minimizing their
investment. The Trylon Titans win in this situation.
Cheers,
Steve K7LXC
Champion Radio Products
888-833-3104
Cell: 206-890-4188
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather
Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions
and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
|