TO: ALL WOOD COUNTY ARES MEMBERS (OFFICIAL)
ALL ARES AND NON-ARES AMATEURS ANYWHERE (INFORMATION)
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM ARRL DISTRICT 3
EMERGENCY COORDINATOR WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INC.
WOOD COUNTY ARES BULLETIN NR 21.23 DATE: June 6, 2021
SUBJECT: IT MAY HAVE TO COME DOWN
When you put up a tower do you plan for the day that it may have to be taken back down?
I've installed many towers since becoming a Amateur Radio operator, and each time I put one up, I try to plan for the day that it may have to come back down. There are several things that you can do that will make taking it back down a whole lot easier.
When installing the tower rustproof the bolts with a good quality rust inheritor. Attach the guy wires above the top step of the tower section, not the middle or bottom step of an upper section.
Run transmission lines on the tower so they are out of the way of climbing the tower, and easy to secure to the tower. Don't run the coax or transmission line inside of the tower. Attach each antenna to the tower using its own mounting bracket so you can take down just one antenna at a time, and not have to worry about any other one.
Make taking a tower down a whole lot easier, and safer than putting it up. Plan ahead and think what you are doing.
Ken Harris WA8LLM
WCEC
Wood County WV