How the heck did those TV crews of yesteryear erect 40+ foot
telescoping antenna masts sitting atop pointed roofs? Its not
exactly like you can set up a step ladder on such a roof to
get up the first 10 foot to pull up the rest of the sections.
Also setting the guys correctly is nothing to sneeze at I am
finding out. Maybe they worked it from the top section
down...of course.....! Pluse they already knew from previous
experience with standard hardware how long to make the
guys....I beginning to see the light....not that I can use
that technique.

At the moment I am still recovering from the stress of a yet
unfinished mast erecting project and when I calm down or when
I am out of deep water so to speak, I will tell you the rest
of the story of untangling the pre-strung guys and ropes etc.
It is one of those crazy situations where you yourself are
the only accountable engineer, everyone thinks your crazy,
and you dare not tell anyone what you were thinking because
they would just tell you that you must be nuts.

Mostly I better keep this project to myself until I am either
out of the hot water or I abort it. Please wish me luck since
I am a fellow antenna dream farmer gone of the deep end it
seeems.......


BTW, I am not trying to do this atop such a pointed roof, and
it still is quite challenging. One is almost up leaning on
on end of a barn, another will be free standing out in the
field, another will be tied onto a 20 foot "telephone pole"
set in another part of the field (hoping to get an additional
24' or so. Plus two more I won's even go into..


then, I heard that sky wire loops are nothing all that great
anyway......

talk about taking the wind out of one's sails when one is in
the middle of an engineering crises....its all the fun of
AMATEUR radio......amateur with its root meaning "to
love"....



Bill K6TAJ

"zeno" wrote in message ...
How the heck did those TV crews of yesteryear erect 40+ foot
telescoping antenna masts sitting atop pointed roofs? Its not
exactly like you can set up a step ladder on such a roof to
get up the first 10 foot to pull up the rest of the sections.

That's exactly what we did! When you are
young and fearless and believe in your
personal immortality, it's amazing what
you can do ;-)

73, John - K6QQ

That is amazing, like you say.

Now that you mention it, I see no other way to do it. So I guess I will quit my
bellyaching about doing just that out in an open field pulling up 4 ten foot
sections after the first base 10 feet is mounted and guyed.

How did you secure a step ladder on the peak of a roof?

Bill K6TAJ

John Moriarity wrote:

"zeno" wrote in message ...
How the heck did those TV crews of yesteryear erect 40+ foot
telescoping antenna masts sitting atop pointed roofs? Its not
exactly like you can set up a step ladder on such a roof to
get up the first 10 foot to pull up the rest of the sections.

That's exactly what we did! When you are
young and fearless and believe in your
personal immortality, it's amazing what
you can do ;-)

73, John - K6QQ

Hi John,

For a 50' tall mast, what would you say would be the minimum acceptible square
dimensions from vertices (on a flat plane with the base) of the guy wire anchor
points?

Bill K6TAJ

John Moriarity wrote:

"zeno" wrote in message ...
How the heck did those TV crews of yesteryear erect 40+ foot
telescoping antenna masts sitting atop pointed roofs? Its not
exactly like you can set up a step ladder on such a roof to
get up the first 10 foot to pull up the rest of the sections.

That's exactly what we did! When you are
young and fearless and believe in your
personal immortality, it's amazing what
you can do ;-)

73, John - K6QQ

" For a 50' tall mast, what would you say would be the minimum acceptible
square
dimensions from vertices (on a flat plane with the base) of the guy wire
anchor
points?

Since it is easy to design a 100' mast with no guying required, there is
obviously more information required to answer that question.

Jack

How did you secure a step ladder on the peak of a roof?

Well, If you're still somewhat chicken,
you can enlist another person to foot
the ladder ;-)

73, John - K6QQ

For a 50' tall mast, what would you say would be the minimum acceptible
square
dimensions from vertices (on a flat plane with the base) of the guy wire
anchor
points?

I can't answer that authoritatively. Usually
the distance was to the edge of the roof ;-)

73, John - K6QQ

Jack Painter wrote:

" For a 50' tall mast, what would you say would be the minimum acceptible
square
dimensions from vertices (on a flat plane with the base) of the guy wire
anchor
points?

Since it is easy to design a 100' mast with no guying required, there is
obviously more information required to answer that question.

Jack

Hi Jack,

That reminds me of that legendary character who was looking for his keys a
thousand feet from where he lost them because the light was better over
there, hi hi.

Bill K6TAJ

John Moriarity wrote:

For a 50' tall mast, what would you say would be the minimum acceptible
square
dimensions from vertices (on a flat plane with the base) of the guy wire
anchor
points?

I can't answer that authoritatively. Usually
the distance was to the edge of the roof ;-)

73, John - K6QQ

Well, I guess I will just put the guy wires as far out as I can without
bumping into the trees in the orchard.....or I might just not put up this
extra 50' mast at all, but that means I will have to span nearly 180 feet on
one side of my square loop skywire.

I am already falling out of favor with those around me here with this crazy
antenna project....such is the misunderstood life of the ham ....at least I
am in the country and it is my own place....and the waf is not an issue at
the moment. Some people do not find a 50 foot mast in the middle of an
orchard as beautiful as I do. I think the "industrial" aesthetic needs to be
boosted a bit these days....fortuitious pun...perhaps intended....


Bill - K6TAJ

zeno wrote:
How the heck did those TV crews of yesteryear erect 40+ foot
telescoping antenna masts sitting atop pointed roofs?
(snip)

BTW, I am not trying to do this atop such a pointed roof, and
it still is quite challenging. One is almost up leaning on
on end of a barn, another will be free standing out in the
field, another will be tied onto a 20 foot "telephone pole"
set in another part of the field (hoping to get an additional
24' or so. Plus two more I won's even go into..
(snip)

Bill K6TAJ


I'm planning a couple 50' telescoping masts with pulleys at the top to
hold up a long, center fed Zepp. I plan to erect some scaffolding
around the masts so the deck is at 8-9 feet, then pull up each section
while using temporary guys until it's all the way up, set the guys, take
down the scaffolding, hoist up the Zepp and have a beer.

I haven't done it yet but it would seem that it would be easier standing
on a deck, not balancing on the top of a ladder while lifting so much
weight. Scaffolding gives you a bigger place to stand, big enough you
can add a second person and make it that much easier. It also serves to
help hold the mast vertical if you tie the bottom section to the scaff.

I could see setting scaffolding over the peak of a roof to set up a mast
there.

-Galen, W8LNA