Original article from: Wayne Sarosi 
 Reposted by Rob Dennis,Moderator HAM_TECH,for use of the FIDO HAM_TECH echo.
  THIS POST/SERIES NOT TO BE USED IN ANY CDROM COMPILATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL
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SUBJECT: Towers,part 5
 SMALL STEEL CRANK-UPS:
 I own one of these babys. The tower has two sections,each nineteen feet six
inches. The base section is nine inch triangular,while the upper section is
seven inch triangular. The upper section is rasied and lowered with a small
boat winch. The tower is a lay-over design,hinged at the bottom.
 Since I have another 18 foot, 15 inch triangular tower beside it that is 
sed
as a work stand,I have a second boat winch and pulley system to lay the 
rank-
up over on it's side.
 These towers are stronger than they appear and can raise a large beam to a
height of 35 feet safely. To add to that strength,a push-up mast drive-shaft
configuration was added to the tower,transforming the weight of the antenna 
o
the base.
 The rotor is located beneath the tower, as well as a set of vertical 
earings
(1000-lb lazy-susan bearings),in a two foot high steel stand.
 There is no weight on the rotor.
 There are other configurations to consider. Small Steel crank-ups would be
excellent for VHF/UHF antennas with the rotor mount on top of the tower.
 They are excellent supports for wire antennas and verticals.
 Some of the draw-backs are:
 o They are made from steel and are heavy.
 o They rust.
 o They require yearly refurbs.
------------------------------------------------------------
 ROHNS:
 These are probably the most common type of antenna tower used by hams today
for QTH set-ups. The ROHN name is actually a company which to my 
urprize,many
hams didn't know. I got a good laugh when a third ham told me it was a type 
f
antenna and not a company. Oh well.
 The Rohn tower sections are easy to install but have some draw-backs.
 They should be greased where they meet. Stainless bolts and nuts are a must.
 And the tower needs guying past two sections with anything largerthan a VHF
beam.
 A good base is needed for proper support as in any tower and a lay-over 
inge
is recommended. Two adults can set-up a four section hinged tower in minutes
(KB4DCZ & KB4YLY) with guy wires.
 The Rohn tower is excellent for shaft-drives as the push-up mast can be
replaced with 2-in standard pipe. The Rohn sections come various flavors and
can meet most hams needs.
 Many of these sections can be purchased at local hamfests or you can buy 
ew.
 Rohn is the way to go for a first tower.
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-WS
--- GoldED 2.42.G1219
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