"MTV" wrote in message
...
I'm starting to look for a 55' freestanding tower with house wall bracket.
Am undecided on a lattice type or tubular. Being an old geezer I am not
interested in the standard lattice type which requires climbing, but a
nestable type to be raised and lowered by a crank or motor. I figure if it
can be lowered I could work on it from the roof of my one story house.
Main antenna would be a Cushcraft A4S 4-element or equivalent - wind area
abt 4 sq ft. Not sure I could handle the huge X7 Big Thunder and its 7.9
sq ft., although that would be ideal.

Any first hand experience or recommendations?

Marv
W5MTV

About all that I can recommend is nt to do it like a local ham. His tower
is next to his house, but he can not put an antenna on it from the roof and
has to rent a bucket truck or a one man lift to get to the antenna. Seems
he put it at the side of the house and the angle of the roof is too much to
get the antenna boom from the roof to the tower. He only had a 3 element
triband bean and tehn replaced it with the Stepper 3 element and still has
the same problem. He does have a tower that can be lowered, but it does not
do him much good for that reason.