Hello!
I'm new to the list here, and I've jumped in way over my head. :-) I am
building a new shop out here in rural Oregon, and figured while I'm at it, I
should put in a ~100' tower for various antennas and cameras I wanted to set
up. Unlike most of you, the cart is before the horse - I don't have my ticket
yet, but it's a matter of time and infrastructure. I figure I'll first be
using my tower for some mid-range (4-14 km) microwave data in unlicensed
spectrum, plus a 1080P PTZ IP camera for looking at the horizon that I can't
see due to the thick forest in most directions. I might also put up some
ultra-bright controllable multi-color LEDs that I can have set themselves to
various color patterns for statuses (for example, a color slide that shows the
number of minutes since someone last drove up the driveway so when I get close
to home and see my tower on the horizon I know what to expect, etc.) The
amateur radio antennas will show up as soon as I have my shop done and a
safe warm place in the winter to put my butt in a chair and some equipment
near a tower. But there are some problems along with just the big tasks of
"making a good foundation for the tower" and "hiring a crane and actually
assembling the tower". See below.
The Pictures:
http://www.loligo.com/big-tower/
THE PROBLEMS:
I have a free-standing tower that I got secondhand. It was being used as a
windmill tower, and was disassembled and stored in a backyard for 8+ years
until I bought it and moved it to my place (possibly the most un-safe move I've
ever done - long story, but moving big stuff off the top of an un-maintained
mountain home clearing is a challenge.) I know _nothing_ about the tower,
though I strongly suspect it's a Rohn. But I don't know how to identify the
sections and there are no obvious maker marks - only assembly ID numbers.
There are 5 20' sections of decreasing diameter with height, all of which
except for the topmost section (shown in pictures) were partially disassembled
for loading onto my trailer.
Problem 1: Identify the tower. Is this actually a Rohn?
Problem 2: Determine foundation structure. I live on clay/shale that is
incredibly difficult to dig through. It took a special drill rig to go 5' down
for my pole barn footings. What's the best method to use in soil like this?
Where do I find diagrams that have some math behind them that is understandable?
Problem 3: What are the hints? I found this:
http://www.do-it-yourself-tower.com/ which was great, but 75 yards of concrete
I think is more than I'll need here. Are there other quick hints on how to get
the footings aligned and poured?
Problem 4: What are the limits? The tower had a HUGE amount of rusty homebrew
insanity on it that I have since removed (shown in the pictures, but now
sitting in a pile in the driveway.) There must have been 400 pounds of steel
at the top of that thing, and I have no idea how much the windmill weighed. I
don't think I'll ever have anything even remotely approaching that kind of
weight or cross-section, but it would be useful to know what the weight and/or
square footage wind ratings are. If I _could_ use it safely as a windmill
base, that might be interesting for some point in the distant future. It held
up previously, obviously, but I don't know what kind of swept surface area was
on the turbine previously on top.
Problem 5: I am missing the bolts to hold the sections together, and probably
also missing some bolts, nuts, and locknuts for the struts since I didn't take
them apart and the disassembly was a bit "roughshod". Where can I get that
kind of thing, in the appropriate galvanized format?
Problem 6: I now have a 120' Rohn 45G (with hinge, two top sections, guy
connectors) that I was ready to set up but now seems redundant to my needs.
(and a Tri-Ex H-354 crank-up, which came with it) Anyone in the PNW want to
buy either for a reasonable price?
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