Tower page

This page is under construction.

During antenna clamp research here's one OEM list of the types:

 

 

 

 

 

One of the most popular towers made by Rohn is the 25-G series. On the left is the standard section (10-foot). The other two are the top section. There are two types; the flat top has a provision for a thrust bearing while the other comes to a point with a vehicle pipe to run the mast through for a turning type antenna (presumedly directional).

 

One other note; on some of these top sections have a "reducer" at the very top end. In the event you end up with this type and wish to use a larger pipe in inside, it's believed you can knock out this reducer. One way is to put another pipe around the diameter of your final mast up inside the sections pipe and pound it out (up direction). Each section is easy to handle both on the ground and during an install vertically (with a jin-pole, of course).

Tower climbing

Tower climbing does have risks. It can be dangerous if persons not trained by a certified source. Proper training on safety techniques, efficient work methods and a good and a careful attitude is essential for a successful project. In addition, all ground (helper) people need to understand and deal with the possibility of falling objects. Every one on the project sight has to wear protective gear such as a helmet. Falling objects hitting one's head is usually lethal as well.

The Author has been performing tower projects since 1973. This includes antennas, feed lines and other gear installation on various towers anything from the common Rohn 25 up to the monster broadcast ones, exceeding 500 feet off the ground. Here's a sample of some of the gear used for tower climbing. Starting in the back it's a good idea to have a few "slings". These are handy to wrap around large anchor points, such as a tower leg or cross member. These show are "home-made". Industrial strength thread was used on a commercial sewing machine to accomplish this. Several runs of the thread were sew to make it as strong as the webbing itself. There are however, store-bought slings available as well. To the upper left is just some common nylon small rope pieces. They are handy for tying items off on the tower, while you work on other tasks nearby.

The rest of this imagine shows the different type of Carabiners used. All of these are meant for right-hand operation although, with some practice the left hand can be used. The word "carabiner" is a shortened form of Karabinerhaken (or also short Karabiner), a German phrase for a "spring hook" used by a carbine rifleman, or carbineer, to attach his carbineer to a belt or bandolier.

The back row is the latest and best to use. They are non-snagging. The next forward row has some of these, in various forms, D, and oval, etc. The front row is the older ones uses. These have the disadvantage of snagging on rope. There's more images below showing this. In the front right is the variety of pulleys the Authors uses. Some of them are decades old, so are use for non critical uses, such as ground rigging. The blue pulley in the center is the latest being evaluated and supports up to 15mm rope size. It's possible this will be the main type used for future projects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As mentioned the rear is the latest ones the Author uses. These have a nice gate that does not snag on rope. Some of these are straight gate action while some are the twist locking (auto) type.

 

 

These are the older type. Note they have a "hook" on the end of the opening. This tends to snag on a tope. Therefore, these are being retired to non-critical uses such as ground based, non tower anchor points, such as securing an ATV on a trailer, etc.

Vender's on line have additional information you should read such as this one

As of 2023 the Author found a nice company in the USA. They have tower supplies such as the carabiners, pulleys and even entry rubber inserts for the kits that don't have them.

Here's a company that makes a nice capstan winch great for pulling items up a tower up to one ton.

Remote sites can be very harsh in the winter. That's why the example of brackets are posted at the top of this article. For example, here's a high-up site in Eastern Washington. While it's not as high up as some sites in the Rocky Mountains it does hold it's own. This shows a summer and winter situation. For the winter image the building is on the left, while the PV panels on the right. Obviously, antennas and brackets have to be strong enough to deal with this amount of ice loading.

 

 

If you are interested in installing your own tower in the Spokane area you may want to read over this document document on city ordinances. Right now it's a "draft" however, something you might want to check out.

As of 2021 the Author found this Washington State law that appears to say amateurs are exempt from local city tower restrictions however, this has not been confirmed.

 

 

The (certified climbing) Author uses several brands of gear (as mentioned with the carabiners) however, a leading vender is Petzl.
A couple documents that may be useful for your future training:

  • Training courses they offer for certification.

  • And a tower work guide for this year. Remember that you need to get certified to use most of these methods.

    Mounting an antenna can be a large task This extension may help you .

    For equipment in the building are usually mounted on 19" racks as shown here.

     

    These racks should not touch the floor to prevent them becoming "lighting rods". One cheap way is to set them on a piece of plywood. However, wood will conduct to some degree when wet. Other materials such as rubber, neoprene, plexiglass or "teflon" (PTFE) would be a better choice. Another good way is use a rack/cabinet isolation kit which consists of four shoulder washers and two phenolic type plates. You can use whatever bolts you wish along with the concrete anchors (assuming the floor is concrete). Shown here is a starter kit the Author put together for one unit.

     

     

    Here's a close up of installing such kit on an existing 19" radio relay rack. The purpose of the washers are to insulate the rack from the bolts (not shown) that connects to the concrete floor via the anchors that you had installed prior to this step. Install the shoulder washer upside down so the center section aligns the rack base to the middle of mention anchors and its holes. Normally, the bolts are 1/2" however in a pinch you can use 3/8 bolts and anchors.

     

     

    Here's the dimensions of washers for the racks the Author is using.

     

     

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