Where can I find an inexpensive, freestanding (or lightly guyed), antenna
tower? It doesn't have to support a lot of weight - a couple of small 2m
radio antennas and one or two scanner antennas. And it also doesn't have to
be very tall - thirty to forty feet would be just fine. I'm sure others
would be interested in this also.


Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/

"Dwight Stewart" wrote in message
.. .


Where can I find an inexpensive, freestanding (or lightly guyed),
antenna
tower? It doesn't have to support a lot of weight - a couple of small 2m
radio antennas and one or two scanner antennas. And it also doesn't have
to
be very tall - thirty to forty feet would be just fine. I'm sure others
would be interested in this also.


Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/

If they still make it, the Rohn HBX series would be the least expensive.
(Notice, I didn't say cheap). It comes in 8 foot sections that bolt
together. The top section is the skinniest, about 6 in on a side, and
sections get progressivly larger towards the bottom. It is light enough that
one person could lift a 32 foot tower. Good for 10 sq. ft. of antenna. Self
supporting, if you mount it on a concrete base.

Another low end tower is the USTower MA40. This is a tubular crank up tower
with a hinged bottom. You either need their raising fixture (expensive) and
a concrete base, or support it at about 8 feet against a building. It comes
with the building support bracket; this method only requires a few bags of
concrete. Also rated at 10 sq. ft. of antenna.. With this tower the rotor
can not be mounted inside the tower, and you can not use a thrust bearing.

If you live in a fringe TV area that recently got cable, you should be able
to get a TV tower for free if you take it down. The ones I see in South
Jersey seem to be 40 - 50 feet.

Tam/WB2TT

Radio Shack's telescoping masts work well and are cheap.

Do you need to climb it?

jw
wb9uai

They don't work that well and they are not free standing! And they are
cheap because in 2 years they are so rusted you can no longer use it ;-(
I've been there and done that, I wont do it again.

Radio Shack's telescoping masts work well and are cheap.

Do you need to climb it?

jw
wb9uai




--
That Other George

Please send your spam to:

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They don't work that well and they are not free standing! And they are
cheap because in 2 years they are so rusted you can no longer use it ;-(
I've been there and done that, I wont do it again.

Radio Shack's telescoping masts work well and are cheap.

Do you need to climb it?

jw
wb9uai



That's curious, I've had on problem with rust what so ever on any of the RS
masts I've used (three total).

I've got one on the roof now for 5 years, no problems. Bottom section is run
through the access hatch, then bolted to attic floor. Holding a 5 el 6m beam
and 11e l 2m beam. Rock solid through many big winds.

jw
wb9uai
milwaukee

In message , Dwight Stewart
writes


Where can I find an inexpensive, freestanding (or lightly guyed), antenna
tower? It doesn't have to support a lot of weight - a couple of small 2m
radio antennas and one or two scanner antennas. And it also doesn't have to
be very tall - thirty to forty feet would be just fine. I'm sure others
would be interested in this also.

I have a 25 ft pole made of plasticised paper, in 4 sections, with brass
inserts at each end. Ex-army. I paid 5 GBP (nearly a week's pay) for it
in 1953!

I used it guyed with light plastic line. It supported a 10 ele 2m beam
for several years.

Mike
--
M.J.Powell

"Dwight Stewart" wrote in message
.. .


Where can I find an inexpensive, freestanding (or lightly guyed),
antenna
tower? It doesn't have to support a lot of weight - a couple of small 2m
radio antennas and one or two scanner antennas. And it also doesn't have
to
be very tall - thirty to forty feet would be just fine. I'm sure others
would be interested in this also.


Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/


Go to your hardware store and buy a Aluminum ladder. Clamp it to the side
of the building and guy as necessary.

Just an idea.

Dan/W4NTI

"Dan/W4NTI" wrote:

Go to your hardware store and buy a Aluminum
ladder. Clamp it to the side of the building
and guy as necessary.


As described in a previous message, there isn't a lot of room for guy
wires. The area is about two and a half feet wide - just enough room for a
cement slab to support a small freestanding tower. After that, there just
isn't any room to run guy wires out very far. What there is (the building
and a nearby fence) isn't going to provide a strong support for guy wires.


Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/

I bought a 30 foot tower from my local TV shop a few years back for $35.00
a 10 section. The company that makes it is American Tower I think they are
in FL but a call to my local TV shop and he still sells the stuff only the
price is now $41.00 a 10 foot section :-) It's free standing to 30 feet
with a 3 foot X 3 foot X 3 foot base, or you can do what I did and stick 3
feet of the 30 foot tower in a 3' X 3' X 3' hole and fill it with
quickcrete and run the garden hose on it for a few min :-) I used 2 U
clamps to clamp it to the house in the middel of the 2nd section so my
tower is good to 50 feet I'm told with a 6sq ft load

Where can I find an inexpensive, freestanding (or lightly guyed),
antenna
tower? It doesn't have to support a lot of weight - a couple of small
2m radio antennas and one or two scanner antennas. And it also doesn't
have to be very tall - thirty to forty feet would be just fine. I'm
sure others would be interested in this also.


Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/




--
That Other George

Please send your spam to:

http://webpages.charter.net/moment/

http://webpages.charter.net/moment/winjunk.htm

"That Other George" wrote:

I bought a 30 foot tower from my local TV shop
a few years back for $35.00 a 10 section. The
company that makes it is American Tower I think
they are in FL but a call to my local TV shop
and he still sells the stuff only the price is
now $41.00 a 10 foot section :-) (snip)


Not bad at all. I'll check around with some of the local TV shops.


Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/