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Re: [TowerTalk] tower specs/not wind loads

To: "Pat Barthelow" <aa6eg@hotmail.com>, <farmer.aj@gmail.com>,<Steve@bnjcomp.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] tower specs/not wind loads
From: "Richard M. Gillingham" <rmoodyg@bellsouth.net>
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 17:33:55 -0500
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Oops.  Meant this to go to the reflector.

_______________

As I recall, Rohn said you could have up to 33 feet of unguyed tower above a
housebracket.  I have never seen anything about unguyed without the bracket.
I am using the above arrangement with a Hazer, and it works well.  Before
the Hazer, I climbed the tower if not frequently, then regularly for
inspections and repair/adjustments to the antennas.  It does sway a bit in a
breeze.  But it also survived three hurricanes this last year, with me
forgetting to lower the Hazer with my 3 el Steppir for Katrina.  The eye
passed over my area.  Lost a couple of trees, but the tower and antenna did
fine.  YMMV.

Best luck,
Gil, W1RG

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Pat Barthelow" <aa6eg@hotmail.com>
To: <farmer.aj@gmail.com>; <Steve@bnjcomp.com>
Cc: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 4:15 PM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] tower specs/not wind loads


> Folks:
>
> Been there, done that, on a Rohn 25, 50 footer free standing, of a ham
> friend, donating some tower work....The tower was professionally 
> installed,
> with what looked like  a 5' by 5' square concrete base.  I did not know 
> how
> deep the concrete was.  I assumed the engineering was right because the
> tower was installed by a well known local 2 way radio business...
> I worked on it from time to time, on my friend's  TA 33 beam, and was
> DEFINITELY  uncomfortable with the sway and 'exposure' I felt 50 ft up,
> unguyed.  Kept telling myself quietly...Well this WAS installed by a 2 way
> contractor.. must be right.....I later was told that there was no official
> Rohn specs for any unguyed 25 tower, but that it was not uncommon to have
> done on a case by case basis (with case by case engineering) to heights of
> 40 ft.   Gave me the Willies......haven't been up that tower since.
>
> 73, DX, de Pat Barthelow AA6EG aa6eg@hotmail.com
>
>>From: "A.J. Farmer (AJ3U)" <farmer.aj@gmail.com>
>>To: Steve Shelton <Steve@bnjcomp.com>
>>CC: towertalk@contesting.com
>>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] tower specs/not wind loads
>>Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 16:00:04 -0500
>>On 1/23/06, Steve Shelton <Steve@bnjcomp.com> wrote:
>> > Hi, I am fairly new to towers and I have tried to research information
>> > on rohn's 25, 45 and 55 towers.  I have found quite a bit of 
>> > information
>> > on these towers but not the exact answers that I am looking.  One of my
>> > questions is what is the maximum safe height on these three towers
>> > without guying?  How much weight can they handle guyed or unguyed? The
>> > reason I ask is that I do a lot of tower climbing and often run into a
>> > rohn 25 that is not guyed.  Most are only 40' but some as high as 80'
>> > and without guy wires these towers do a lot of swaying.  I would feel
>> > more comfortable on these particular towers if I knew for sure that an
>> > extra 200lbs harnessed to the side of this tower is not going to be the
>> > stick that broke that camels back.  Thank you for any information that
>> > you have.
>>
>>C'mon fellas - none of you answered this guy's question but instead
>>hijacked the thread and started on about other things not even related
>>to his question...
>>
>>Steve, my understanding is that the maximum freestanding height of
>>Rohn 25G is 30 to 40 feet.  I would assume that this limit allows for
>>an average (200lb?) climber doing maintenance, but I have always
>>wondered the same thing.  I don't know about 45G and 55G, but I do
>>know that they were designed as guyed towers, not freestanding.
>>Everyone talks about wind load, but what about the load of somebody is
>>hanging off the side near the top?  How does that compare?  I don't
>>have the engineering experience to do this calculation.  Perhaps
>>someone on this list knows how to do this?  If so, then that load can
>>be compared "apples to apples" with a wind load, right?    Some hard
>>numbers sure would make me feel better about being up there...  I have
>>a 30 foot freestanding 25G tower and it makes me nervous when it sways
>>when I'm on top.  I can't imagine being up 80 feet unguyed...  You are
>>a brave man, indeed!
>>
>>--
>>A.J. Farmer, AJ3U
>>http://www.aj3u.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
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