[Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
Hello all, I am the owner if a K2, KX3, PX3, and KXPA100. I have been a ham since 1982, and love my Elecraft gear. I have a question for the group. I am moving from my current QTH in Corvallis, OR after 30 years. Currently I have a Rohn 25 based tower that is about 35 feet above my flat roof. On the tower is a tri-band Cushcraft ATB-34 and 2m/440 comet antennas. The beam and tower date from the time I became a ham. I am building a new home in an established neighborhood in West Salem, Oregon. The CCRs have expired, so I am not restricted from a tower setup. My new QTH is high in the west hills of Salem. The view to the east is amazing as the ground slopes away. To the west, the terrain has a slight rise. I am 68 yrs. old. I don't want to have to climb a tower again. My home will be two stories with the garage level under it. The peak of my roof will be about 34 ft. above grade. My new tower location will be about 32 feet from grade to the peak of the roof. The roofline will run N-S with the tower on the west side of the house. I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the US Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not being visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. which would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting to the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to physically crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two questions: 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive antenna on 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be the direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. 2.I am not committed to any particular crankup tower. The US Tower is just the one I have seen on the internet. I would be interested in any lighterweight fold over crank up tower up to 50 ft. I think a tubular constructed type tower would be my preference due to weight of installation. A triangular designed crankup may be ok, too. I know I can have a larger tower and antenna, but I want my setup to be neighbor friendly. I am not a contester, and will never operate over 100 watts. It is nice to be able to work a station if I can hear it. I also want the advantage of a horizontally polarized antenna with gain. I have been spoiled with that setup over the years. Just as an aside, my other antenna is a horizontal loop about 250 ft. in length that I use for all the other bands. It is up about 30 ft. suspended from the trees in my current QTH. I feed it with 450 ohm ladder into a 4:1 balun to coax. At my new QTH, we will plant two contained planters with 20 or 30 ft. bamboo on the SW and NW corners of my property where I can put a vertical pipe for two supports, then use the peak of my roof on the N and S side at 34 Ft. for my NE and SE contact points for my other two corners for my horizontal loop. I will feed it with the same 450 ohm ladder from the NE corner. I really like my horizontal loop because it is so quiet being horizontally polarized. My current one works great so I want the same thing for my new QTH. I look forward to getting some great input from this group. I have been amazed at the level of quality information I have seen on this group. Thanks in advance to you all. 73's, Terry Brown, N7TB __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
[Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
The antenna just over your roof line should not be a problem. You will be able to work a lot of stations with this setup. Before buying the antenna I would suggest that you read the tribander test report. http://www.championradio.com/HF-TRIBANDER-PERFORMANCE-TEST-METHODS-RESULTS.2 John KK9A from: Terry Brown n7tb Mon Jul 11 21:21:51 EDT 2016 Hello all, I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the US Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not being visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. which would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting to the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to physically crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two questions: 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive antenna on 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be the direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. I know I can have a larger tower and antenna, but I want my setup to be neighbor friendly. I am not a contester, and will never operate over 100 watts. It is nice to be able to work a station if I can hear it. I also want the advantage of a horizontally polarized antenna with gain. I have been spoiled with that setup over the years. Thanks in advance to you all. 73's, Terry Brown, N7TB __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
Terry - My tower is a MA-40, bracketed to the end of my garage, with a rotor and TA-33Jr on top. I've worked 200 DXCC entities with it at 100 watts from here in the RF black hole of Minnesota, so it seems like an effective setup for me. It's not a 'super station' but I have plenty of fun with it (and my K3/P3!). 73 de W0ZF On Mon, Jul 11, 2016 at 8:22 PM Terry Brown wrote: > Hello all, > > > > I am the owner if a K2, KX3, PX3, and KXPA100. I have been a ham since > 1982, and love my Elecraft gear. I have a question for the group. I am > moving from my current QTH in Corvallis, OR after 30 years. Currently I > have a Rohn 25 based tower that is about 35 feet above my flat roof. On > the > tower is a tri-band Cushcraft ATB-34 and 2m/440 comet antennas. The beam > and tower date from the time I became a ham. > > > > I am building a new home in an established neighborhood in West Salem, > Oregon. The CCRs have expired, so I am not restricted from a tower setup. > My new QTH is high in the west hills of Salem. The view to the east is > amazing as the ground slopes away. To the west, the terrain has a slight > rise. I am 68 yrs. old. I don't want to have to climb a tower again. My > home will be two stories with the garage level under it. The peak of my > roof will be about 34 ft. above grade. My new tower location will be about > 32 feet from grade to the peak of the roof. The roofline will run N-S with > the tower on the west side of the house. > > > > I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a > smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the US > Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over > base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. > This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not being > visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. which > would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting to > the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to physically > crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two > questions: > > > > 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above > the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive antenna > on > 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be > the > direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna > will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. > > > > 2.I am not committed to any particular crankup tower. The US Tower is > just the one I have seen on the internet. I would be interested in any > lighterweight fold over crank up tower up to 50 ft. I think a tubular > constructed type tower would be my preference due to weight of > installation. > A triangular designed crankup may be ok, too. > > > > I know I can have a larger tower and antenna, but I want my setup to be > neighbor friendly. I am not a contester, and will never operate over 100 > watts. It is nice to be able to work a station if I can hear it. I also > want the advantage of a horizontally polarized antenna with gain. I have > been spoiled with that setup over the years. > > > > Just as an aside, my other antenna is a horizontal loop about 250 ft. in > length that I use for all the other bands. It is up about 30 ft. suspended > from the trees in my current QTH. I feed it with 450 ohm ladder into a 4:1 > balun to coax. At my new QTH, we will plant two contained planters with 20 > or 30 ft. bamboo on the SW and NW corners of my property where I can put a > vertical pipe for two supports, then use the peak of my roof on the N and S > side at 34 Ft. for my NE and SE contact points for my other two corners for > my horizontal loop. I will feed it with the same 450 ohm ladder from the > NE > corner. I really like my horizontal loop because it is so quiet being > horizontally polarized. My current one works great so I want the same > thing > for my new QTH. > > > > I look forward to getting some great input from this group. I have been > amazed at the level of quality information I have seen on this group. > > > > Thanks in advance to you all. > > > > 73's, > > > > Terry Brown, N7TB > > > > __ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to dave.w...@gmail.com > __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: htt
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
I also moved and down sized my antenna/tower. I put up 40' of my 70' Rohn 25. I added a hazer and can bring the antenna down to the ground, no climbing. I added a worm gear to the hazer and am able to run the hazer with a battery operated drill. I thought about having the tower attached to the side of the house but that would mean climbing on the roof (high pitch) to get to the antenna. My 3el steppir is below the trees and works just fine. 73 Tex ka5y -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Need-advice-on-Small-Tower-tp7619982p7619986.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
Hello Terry, In my opinion, there will be no problem. I can imagine that if the tower is right at the house and if there is a strip of metal flashing along the peak of the roof it might detune the director slightly when the antenna is pointed east. Maybe. But I can't believe it will cause you any trouble. Anyway, with the tilt base you will have to install it some distance from the house. Remember the tilt base and the rotor plus mast will add to the height of the tower. US Towers also makes a 55-footer. It's a lot more expensive, though. I don't recommend the TA33-JR. Because of the short boom length it will have a narrow bandwidth on 20m. If you operate both CW and SSB you may find that you need to use a tuner. Your old ATB-34 is slightly bigger, but has a wider bandwidth. There are newer designs for small beams that are better than the venerable TA-33. Also if you can find one that works on 18 MHz too, that will be a plus. In the next few years, 10 and 15m will be dead much of the time. 73, Vic, 4X6GP Rehovot, Israel Formerly K2VCO http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ On 12 Jul 2016 04:21, Terry Brown wrote: Hello all, I am the owner if a K2, KX3, PX3, and KXPA100. I have been a ham since 1982, and love my Elecraft gear. I have a question for the group. I am moving from my current QTH in Corvallis, OR after 30 years. Currently I have a Rohn 25 based tower that is about 35 feet above my flat roof. On the tower is a tri-band Cushcraft ATB-34 and 2m/440 comet antennas. The beam and tower date from the time I became a ham. I am building a new home in an established neighborhood in West Salem, Oregon. The CCRs have expired, so I am not restricted from a tower setup. My new QTH is high in the west hills of Salem. The view to the east is amazing as the ground slopes away. To the west, the terrain has a slight rise. I am 68 yrs. old. I don't want to have to climb a tower again. My home will be two stories with the garage level under it. The peak of my roof will be about 34 ft. above grade. My new tower location will be about 32 feet from grade to the peak of the roof. The roofline will run N-S with the tower on the west side of the house. \ I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the US Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not being visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. which would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting to the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to physically crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two questions: 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive antenna on 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be the direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. 2.I am not committed to any particular crankup tower. The US Tower is just the one I have seen on the internet. I would be interested in any lighterweight fold over crank up tower up to 50 ft. I think a tubular constructed type tower would be my preference due to weight of installation. A triangular designed crankup may be ok, too. I know I can have a larger tower and antenna, but I want my setup to be neighbor friendly. I am not a contester, and will never operate over 100 watts. It is nice to be able to work a station if I can hear it. I also want the advantage of a horizontally polarized antenna with gain. I have been spoiled with that setup over the years. Just as an aside, my other antenna is a horizontal loop about 250 ft. in length that I use for all the other bands. It is up about 30 ft. suspended from the trees in my current QTH. I feed it with 450 ohm ladder into a 4:1 balun to coax. At my new QTH, we will plant two contained planters with 20 or 30 ft. bamboo on the SW and NW corners of my property where I can put a vertical pipe for two supports, then use the peak of my roof on the N and S side at 34 Ft. for my NE and SE contact points for my other two corners for my horizontal loop. I will feed it with the same 450 ohm ladder from the NE corner. I really like my horizontal loop because it is so quiet being horizontally polarized. My current one works great so I want the same thing for my new QTH. I look forward to getting some great input from this group. I have been amazed at the level of quality information I have seen on this group. Thanks in advance to you all. 73's, Terry Brown, N7TB __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailm
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
Don't discount the Hex Beam concept. Mel, K6KBE From: Vic Rosenthal 4X6GP To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net; Terry Brown Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2016 6:12 AM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower Hello Terry, In my opinion, there will be no problem. I can imagine that if the tower is right at the house and if there is a strip of metal flashing along the peak of the roof it might detune the director slightly when the antenna is pointed east. Maybe. But I can't believe it will cause you any trouble. Anyway, with the tilt base you will have to install it some distance from the house. Remember the tilt base and the rotor plus mast will add to the height of the tower. US Towers also makes a 55-footer. It's a lot more expensive, though. I don't recommend the TA33-JR. Because of the short boom length it will have a narrow bandwidth on 20m. If you operate both CW and SSB you may find that you need to use a tuner. Your old ATB-34 is slightly bigger, but has a wider bandwidth. There are newer designs for small beams that are better than the venerable TA-33. Also if you can find one that works on 18 MHz too, that will be a plus. In the next few years, 10 and 15m will be dead much of the time. 73, Vic, 4X6GP Rehovot, Israel Formerly K2VCO http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ On 12 Jul 2016 04:21, Terry Brown wrote: > Hello all, > > I am the owner if a K2, KX3, PX3, and KXPA100. I have been a ham since > 1982, and love my Elecraft gear. I have a question for the group. I am > moving from my current QTH in Corvallis, OR after 30 years. Currently I > have a Rohn 25 based tower that is about 35 feet above my flat roof. On the > tower is a tri-band Cushcraft ATB-34 and 2m/440 comet antennas. The beam > and tower date from the time I became a ham. > > I am building a new home in an established neighborhood in West Salem, > Oregon. The CCRs have expired, so I am not restricted from a tower setup. > My new QTH is high in the west hills of Salem. The view to the east is > amazing as the ground slopes away. To the west, the terrain has a slight > rise. I am 68 yrs. old. I don't want to have to climb a tower again. My > home will be two stories with the garage level under it. The peak of my > roof will be about 34 ft. above grade. My new tower location will be about > 32 feet from grade to the peak of the roof. The roofline will run N-S with > the tower on the west side of the house. \ > > I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a > smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the US > Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over > base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. > This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not being > visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. which > would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting to > the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to physically > crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two > questions: > > 1. Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above > the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive antenna on > 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be the > direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna > will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. > > 2. I am not committed to any particular crankup tower. The US Tower is > just the one I have seen on the internet. I would be interested in any > lighterweight fold over crank up tower up to 50 ft. I think a tubular > constructed type tower would be my preference due to weight of installation. > A triangular designed crankup may be ok, too. > > I know I can have a larger tower and antenna, but I want my setup to be > neighbor friendly. I am not a contester, and will never operate over 100 > watts. It is nice to be able to work a station if I can hear it. I also > want the advantage of a horizontally polarized antenna with gain. I have > been spoiled with that setup over the years. > > Just as an aside, my other antenna is a horizontal loop about 250 ft. in > length that I use for all the other bands. It is up about 30 ft. suspended > from the trees in my current QTH. I feed it with 450 ohm ladder into a 4:1 > balun to coax. At my new QTH, we will plant two contained planters with 20 > or 30 ft. bamboo on the SW and NW corners of my property where I can put a > vertical pipe for two supports, then use the peak of my roof on the N and S > side at 34 Ft. for my NE and SE contact points for my other two corners for > my horizontal loop. I wi
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
I don't have the tilt base. I bought my MA40 and beam used, so not sure of its age. Quality seems fine. I made an adapter for a cordless drill to allow me to crank it up and down without cranking. Vic is correct that the TA33Jr is a little more narrow banded than some leather beams. However, I use it successfully on both CW and SSB without a tuner. It has a lot less wind load than a full sized triband beam, which is important with a tower of that type if the rotor is placed at the top as I have it. Might not be as big an issue if you rotate the whole tower. On Tue, Jul 12, 2016 at 8:28 AM Mel Farrer via Elecraft < elecraft@mailman.qth.net> wrote: > Don't discount the Hex Beam concept. > Mel, K6KBE > > > From: Vic Rosenthal 4X6GP > To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net; Terry Brown > Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2016 6:12 AM > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower > > Hello Terry, > > In my opinion, there will be no problem. I can imagine that if the tower > is right at the house and if there is a strip of metal flashing along > the peak of the roof it might detune the director slightly when the > antenna is pointed east. Maybe. But I can't believe it will cause you > any trouble. Anyway, with the tilt base you will have to install it some > distance from the house. > > Remember the tilt base and the rotor plus mast will add to the height of > the tower. US Towers also makes a 55-footer. It's a lot more expensive, > though. > > I don't recommend the TA33-JR. Because of the short boom length it will > have a narrow bandwidth on 20m. If you operate both CW and SSB you may > find that you need to use a tuner. Your old ATB-34 is slightly bigger, > but has a wider bandwidth. > > There are newer designs for small beams that are better than the > venerable TA-33. > > Also if you can find one that works on 18 MHz too, that will be a plus. > In the next few years, 10 and 15m will be dead much of the time. > > 73, > Vic, 4X6GP > Rehovot, Israel > Formerly K2VCO > http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ > > On 12 Jul 2016 04:21, Terry Brown wrote: > > Hello all, > > > > I am the owner if a K2, KX3, PX3, and KXPA100. I have been a ham since > > 1982, and love my Elecraft gear. I have a question for the group. I am > > moving from my current QTH in Corvallis, OR after 30 years. Currently I > > have a Rohn 25 based tower that is about 35 feet above my flat roof. On > the > > tower is a tri-band Cushcraft ATB-34 and 2m/440 comet antennas. The beam > > and tower date from the time I became a ham. > > > > I am building a new home in an established neighborhood in West Salem, > > Oregon. The CCRs have expired, so I am not restricted from a tower > setup. > > My new QTH is high in the west hills of Salem. The view to the east is > > amazing as the ground slopes away. To the west, the terrain has a slight > > rise. I am 68 yrs. old. I don't want to have to climb a tower again. > My > > home will be two stories with the garage level under it. The peak of my > > roof will be about 34 ft. above grade. My new tower location will be > about > > 32 feet from grade to the peak of the roof. The roofline will run N-S > with > > the tower on the west side of the house. \ > > > > I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a > > smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the > US > > Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over > > base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. > > This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not > being > > visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. > which > > would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting > to > > the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to > physically > > crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two > > questions: > > > > 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above > > the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive > antenna on > > 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be > the > > direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna > > will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. > > > > 2.I am not committed to any particular crankup tower. The US Tower > is > > just the one I have seen on the internet. I would be interested in any > > lighterweight fold over crank up tower up to 50 ft. I think a tubula
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
> There are newer designs for small beams that are better than the > venerable TA-33. Force 12 XR-5 or JK Antennas Navassa 5 both cover 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10 meters. Both are available with a 6 meter (XR-6 or 6M add-on) option. Although the antennas have two active elements er band, they they have boom lengths equal or less than the TA-33/TA-33jr and the full size elements mean they are much more efficient than the Mosley antennas. The Force 12 or Navassa provide full performance on up to six bands in a package the size and weight of the TA-33 (or TA33JR-WARC). 73, ... Joe, W4TV On 7/12/2016 9:12 AM, Vic Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote: Hello Terry, In my opinion, there will be no problem. I can imagine that if the tower is right at the house and if there is a strip of metal flashing along the peak of the roof it might detune the director slightly when the antenna is pointed east. Maybe. But I can't believe it will cause you any trouble. Anyway, with the tilt base you will have to install it some distance from the house. Remember the tilt base and the rotor plus mast will add to the height of the tower. US Towers also makes a 55-footer. It's a lot more expensive, though. I don't recommend the TA33-JR. Because of the short boom length it will have a narrow bandwidth on 20m. If you operate both CW and SSB you may find that you need to use a tuner. Your old ATB-34 is slightly bigger, but has a wider bandwidth. There are newer designs for small beams that are better than the venerable TA-33. Also if you can find one that works on 18 MHz too, that will be a plus. In the next few years, 10 and 15m will be dead much of the time. 73, Vic, 4X6GP Rehovot, Israel Formerly K2VCO http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ On 12 Jul 2016 04:21, Terry Brown wrote: Hello all, I am the owner if a K2, KX3, PX3, and KXPA100. I have been a ham since 1982, and love my Elecraft gear. I have a question for the group. I am moving from my current QTH in Corvallis, OR after 30 years. Currently I have a Rohn 25 based tower that is about 35 feet above my flat roof. On the tower is a tri-band Cushcraft ATB-34 and 2m/440 comet antennas. The beam and tower date from the time I became a ham. I am building a new home in an established neighborhood in West Salem, Oregon. The CCRs have expired, so I am not restricted from a tower setup. My new QTH is high in the west hills of Salem. The view to the east is amazing as the ground slopes away. To the west, the terrain has a slight rise. I am 68 yrs. old. I don't want to have to climb a tower again. My home will be two stories with the garage level under it. The peak of my roof will be about 34 ft. above grade. My new tower location will be about 32 feet from grade to the peak of the roof. The roofline will run N-S with the tower on the west side of the house. \ I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the US Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not being visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. which would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting to the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to physically crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two questions: 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive antenna on 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be the direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. 2.I am not committed to any particular crankup tower. The US Tower is just the one I have seen on the internet. I would be interested in any lighterweight fold over crank up tower up to 50 ft. I think a tubular constructed type tower would be my preference due to weight of installation. A triangular designed crankup may be ok, too. I know I can have a larger tower and antenna, but I want my setup to be neighbor friendly. I am not a contester, and will never operate over 100 watts. It is nice to be able to work a station if I can hear it. I also want the advantage of a horizontally polarized antenna with gain. I have been spoiled with that setup over the years. Just as an aside, my other antenna is a horizontal loop about 250 ft. in length that I use for all the other bands. It is up about 30 ft. suspended from the trees in my current QTH. I feed it with 450 ohm ladder into a 4:1 balun to coax. At my new QTH, we will plant two contained planters with 20 or 30 ft. bamboo on the SW and NW corners of my property where I can put a vertical pipe for two supports, then use the peak of my roof on the
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
Terry, with the assistance and skill of the legendary Skip, KJ6Y, I have just had installed the US Tower MA-40, and cannot recommend it more highly especially for a tight urban lot. The tubular tower easily supports a 63-pound SteppIR DB-11 plus a smaller 40M rotatable MFJ dipole. It rests when I’m not operating at the roof level, and rises to well above roof line (2 story house) fully extended. This is a mighty little tower. Happy to round up some still shots for you off-list if you wish. David Ahrendts, KK6DA, Los Angeles > Mon Jul 11 21:21:51 EDT 2016 > > Hello all, > > > > I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a > smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the US > Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over > base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. > This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not being > visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. which > would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting to > the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to physically > crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two > questions: > > > > 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above > the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive antenna on > 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be the > direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna > will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. > > > I know I can have a larger tower and antenna, but I want my setup to be > neighbor friendly. I am not a contester, and will never operate over 100 > watts. It is nice to be able to work a station if I can hear it. I also > want the advantage of a horizontally polarized antenna with gain. I have > been spoiled with that setup over the years. > > > Thanks in advance to you all. > > > > 73's, > > > > Terry Brown, N7TB > > __ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to davidahren...@me.com David Ahrendts davidahren...@me.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
Many years ago I replaced a TA 33 with a Force 12 C3, I saw one db improvement in signals testing 15 meters and 20 meters ( before then after) with a station 30 miles away, it was even on 10 meters, in all ways of comparison it was better, I later put the 40 meter element on it which had its own feed line simply a great antenna is my report, which proved out chasing dx before then after how many tries how much power. On a tower I would also check out the aluminum crank up getting the pro and con input from others a friend had one many years ago was happy with it. If the antenna at low rest height is right you work on the antenna from the roof a benefit of putting it by the house. Regards Art ka9zap On 7/12/2016 8:44 AM, j...@kk9a.com wrote: The antenna just over your roof line should not be a problem. You will be able to work a lot of stations with this setup. Before buying the antenna I would suggest that you read the tribander test report. http://www.championradio.com/HF-TRIBANDER-PERFORMANCE-TEST-METHODS-RESULTS.2 John KK9A from: Terry Brown n7tb Mon Jul 11 21:21:51 EDT 2016 Hello all, I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the US Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not being visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. which would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting to the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to physically crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two questions: 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive antenna on 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be the direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. I know I can have a larger tower and antenna, but I want my setup to be neighbor friendly. I am not a contester, and will never operate over 100 watts. It is nice to be able to work a station if I can hear it. I also want the advantage of a horizontally polarized antenna with gain. I have been spoiled with that setup over the years. Thanks in advance to you all. 73's, Terry Brown, N7TB __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to ka9...@gmail.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
Terry, If you check out my QRZ page, you'll note that I have a USTower TMM-541SS with a Yaesu G1000DXA rotator and a Force12 XR6 topping it off. https://www.qrz.com/db/K4QE The antenna is at 47 feet AGL and it covers 20 thru 6 with one coax. The TMM-541SS nests down to 12 feet, and I also have the tilt-over kit. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about it. 73, Tony K4QE On Tue, Jul 12, 2016 at 10:00 AM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote: > > > There are newer designs for small beams that are better than the > > venerable TA-33. > > Force 12 XR-5 or JK Antennas Navassa 5 both cover 20, 17, 15, 12 and > 10 meters. Both are available with a 6 meter (XR-6 or 6M add-on) > option. Although the antennas have two active elements er band, they > they have boom lengths equal or less than the TA-33/TA-33jr and the > full size elements mean they are much more efficient than the Mosley > antennas. > > The Force 12 or Navassa provide full performance on up to six bands > in a package the size and weight of the TA-33 (or TA33JR-WARC). > > 73, > >... Joe, W4TV > > > > On 7/12/2016 9:12 AM, Vic Rosenthal 4X6GP wrote: > >> Hello Terry, >> >> In my opinion, there will be no problem. I can imagine that if the tower >> is right at the house and if there is a strip of metal flashing along >> the peak of the roof it might detune the director slightly when the >> antenna is pointed east. Maybe. But I can't believe it will cause you >> any trouble. Anyway, with the tilt base you will have to install it some >> distance from the house. >> >> Remember the tilt base and the rotor plus mast will add to the height of >> the tower. US Towers also makes a 55-footer. It's a lot more expensive, >> though. >> >> I don't recommend the TA33-JR. Because of the short boom length it will >> have a narrow bandwidth on 20m. If you operate both CW and SSB you may >> find that you need to use a tuner. Your old ATB-34 is slightly bigger, >> but has a wider bandwidth. >> >> There are newer designs for small beams that are better than the >> venerable TA-33. >> >> Also if you can find one that works on 18 MHz too, that will be a plus. >> In the next few years, 10 and 15m will be dead much of the time. >> >> 73, >> Vic, 4X6GP >> Rehovot, Israel >> Formerly K2VCO >> http://www.qsl.net/k2vco/ >> >> On 12 Jul 2016 04:21, Terry Brown wrote: >> >>> Hello all, >>> >>> I am the owner if a K2, KX3, PX3, and KXPA100. I have been a ham since >>> 1982, and love my Elecraft gear. I have a question for the group. I am >>> moving from my current QTH in Corvallis, OR after 30 years. Currently I >>> have a Rohn 25 based tower that is about 35 feet above my flat roof. >>> On the >>> tower is a tri-band Cushcraft ATB-34 and 2m/440 comet antennas. The beam >>> and tower date from the time I became a ham. >>> >>> I am building a new home in an established neighborhood in West Salem, >>> Oregon. The CCRs have expired, so I am not restricted from a tower >>> setup. >>> My new QTH is high in the west hills of Salem. The view to the east is >>> amazing as the ground slopes away. To the west, the terrain has a slight >>> rise. I am 68 yrs. old. I don't want to have to climb a tower >>> again. My >>> home will be two stories with the garage level under it. The peak of my >>> roof will be about 34 ft. above grade. My new tower location will be >>> about >>> 32 feet from grade to the peak of the roof. The roofline will run N-S >>> with >>> the tower on the west side of the house. \ >>> >>> I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a >>> smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen >>> the US >>> Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over >>> base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. >>> This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not >>> being >>> visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. >>> which >>> would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when >>> transmitting to >>> the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to >>> physically >>> crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two >>> questions: >>> >>> 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above >>> the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive >>> antenna on >>> 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will >>> be the >>> direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna >>> will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. >>> >>> 2.I am not committed to any particular crankup tower. The US >>> Tower is >>> just the one I have seen on the internet. I would be interested in any >>> lighterweight fold over crank up tower up to 50 ft. I think a tubular >>> constructed type tower would be my preference due to weight of >>> installation. >>> A triangular designed crankup may be o
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
Hi Terry, I'm moving and I've just sold my MA40 with the MARB40 tilt over/rotator base. It's a fine tower for small loads. Be careful, it's only rated at 3sqft load when the tower is cranked down to the 21 foot level. I had a 2 element SteppIR yagi on it and I would crank it down if winds over 20 or 30 mph were forecasted. Cranking it up and down is very easy on the arm. It cranks easily but requires 100 cranks. Tilting it over and cranking it down and back up requires much greater effort until the mast is at the 45 degree angle. I would have liked to have a power driven winch for that operation. The foundation for this mast is substantial with lots of rebar. I'm selling my house and just had the top 12" of concrete removed so that I could replace it with grass. It took a crew longer to remove the 12" then it did for the crew to dig and pour the foundation in the first place. I'm thankful I didn't have to any of the work. This mast can actually be handled by one person if you have moderate equipment to help. I had a wheeled lawn cart for rolling it around and a Harbor Freight 1 ton shop crane for taking it off of the flat bed delivery truck and helping to engage and dis-engage the mast into the MRB40 unit. With two people it's a very simple job. All of my experiences were good and given the opportunity I would not hesitate to purchase another one. I have a personal website with lots of photos. Contact me directly if you want the link. k2mk at comcast dot net 73, Mike K2MK Terry Brown wrote > Hello all, > > I am the owner if a K2, KX3, PX3, and KXPA100. I have been a ham since > 1982, and love my Elecraft gear. I have a question for the group. I am > moving from my current QTH in Corvallis, OR after 30 years. Currently I > have a Rohn 25 based tower that is about 35 feet above my flat roof. On > the > tower is a tri-band Cushcraft ATB-34 and 2m/440 comet antennas. The beam > and tower date from the time I became a ham. > > I am building a new home in an established neighborhood in West Salem, > Oregon. The CCRs have expired, so I am not restricted from a tower setup. > My new QTH is high in the west hills of Salem. The view to the east is > amazing as the ground slopes away. To the west, the terrain has a slight > rise. I am 68 yrs. old. I don't want to have to climb a tower again. > My > home will be two stories with the garage level under it. The peak of my > roof will be about 34 ft. above grade. My new tower location will be > about > 32 feet from grade to the peak of the roof. The roofline will run N-S > with > the tower on the west side of the house. > > I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a > smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the > US > Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over > base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. > This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not being > visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. > which > would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting > to > the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to > physically > crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two > questions: > > 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above > the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive antenna > on > 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be > the > direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna > will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. > > 2.I am not committed to any particular crankup tower. The US Tower is > just the one I have seen on the internet. I would be interested in any > lighterweight fold over crank up tower up to 50 ft. I think a tubular > constructed type tower would be my preference due to weight of > installation. > A triangular designed crankup may be ok, too. > > I know I can have a larger tower and antenna, but I want my setup to be > neighbor friendly. I am not a contester, and will never operate over 100 > watts. It is nice to be able to work a station if I can hear it. I also > want the advantage of a horizontally polarized antenna with gain. I have > been spoiled with that setup over the years. > > Just as an aside, my other antenna is a horizontal loop about 250 ft. in > length that I use for all the other bands. It is up about 30 ft. > suspended > from the trees in my current QTH. I feed it with 450 ohm ladder into a > 4:1 > balun to coax. At my new QTH, we will plant two contained planters with > 20 > or 30 ft. bamboo on the SW and NW corners of my property where I can put a > vertical pipe for two supports, then use the peak of my roof on the N and > S > side at 34 Ft. for my NE and SE contact points for my other two corners > for > my horizontal loop. I
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
Hi Mike, I don't know where the 3 SQ-FT comes from. US Tower does not publish ratings for the MA series any longer. I have had an MA-40 since 1982 and at that time the rating was 10 SQ-FT @ 50 MPH winds fully extended. I have confirmed this with US Tower in the past. I was also told at that time that they do not rate the tower retracted. There have been some new regulations concerning tower ratings in the past couple which is probably why they do not list it now. I have had a 3 Element SteppIR on this tower since 2006. The HRO website still lists the rating at 10 SQ-FT. That being said, I do retract the tower if winds of 50 MPH are predicted or if I am leaving for any length of time. My base is 3 X 3 X 5 which was recommended at that time and I have the drawings for that. I think the 3 SQ is indicating the size of the extended portion which is 3 inches square. Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2016 04:01:47 -0700 (MST) From: Mike K2MK To:elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower Message-ID:<1468407707184-7620050.p...@n2.nabble.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi Terry, I'm moving and I've just sold my MA40 with the MARB40 tilt over/rotator base. It's a fine tower for small loads. Be careful, it's only rated at 3sqft load when the tower is cranked down to the 21 foot level. I had a 2 element SteppIR yagi on it and I would crank it down if winds over 20 or 30 mph were forecasted. Cranking it up and down is very easy on the arm. It cranks easily but requires 100 cranks. Tilting it over and cranking it down and back up requires much greater effort until the mast is at the 45 degree angle. I would have liked to have a power driven winch for that operation. The foundation for this mast is substantial with lots of rebar. I'm selling my house and just had the top 12" of concrete removed so that I could replace it with grass. It took a crew longer to remove the 12" then it did for the crew to dig and pour the foundation in the first place. I'm thankful I didn't have to any of the work. This mast can actually be handled by one person if you have moderate equipment to help. I had a wheeled lawn cart for rolling it around and a Harbor Freight 1 ton shop crane for taking it off of the flat bed delivery truck and helping to engage and dis-engage the mast into the MRB40 unit. With two people it's a very simple job. All of my experiences were good and given the opportunity I would not hesitate to purchase another one. I have a personal website with lots of photos. Contact me directly if you want the link. k2mk at comcast dot net 73, Mike K2MK __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
I would be interested in the website / picture from anyone on this thread. I was given an older Wilson version of the MA40, and am working on the install now. Any advice or input would be appreciated. Niel WA7SSA Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 13, 2016, at 05:01, Mike K2MK wrote: > > Hi Terry, > > I'm moving and I've just sold my MA40 with the MARB40 tilt over/rotator > base. It's a fine tower for small loads. Be careful, it's only rated at > 3sqft load when the tower is cranked down to the 21 foot level. I had a 2 > element SteppIR yagi on it and I would crank it down if winds over 20 or 30 > mph were forecasted. > > Cranking it up and down is very easy on the arm. It cranks easily but > requires 100 cranks. Tilting it over and cranking it down and back up > requires much greater effort until the mast is at the 45 degree angle. I > would have liked to have a power driven winch for that operation. > > The foundation for this mast is substantial with lots of rebar. I'm selling > my house and just had the top 12" of concrete removed so that I could > replace it with grass. It took a crew longer to remove the 12" then it did > for the crew to dig and pour the foundation in the first place. I'm thankful > I didn't have to any of the work. > > This mast can actually be handled by one person if you have moderate > equipment to help. I had a wheeled lawn cart for rolling it around and a > Harbor Freight 1 ton shop crane for taking it off of the flat bed delivery > truck and helping to engage and dis-engage the mast into the MRB40 unit. > With two people it's a very simple job. All of my experiences were good and > given the opportunity I would not hesitate to purchase another one. > > I have a personal website with lots of photos. Contact me directly if you > want the link. > k2mk at comcast dot net > > 73, > Mike K2MK > > > Terry Brown wrote >> Hello all, >> >> I am the owner if a K2, KX3, PX3, and KXPA100. I have been a ham since >> 1982, and love my Elecraft gear. I have a question for the group. I am >> moving from my current QTH in Corvallis, OR after 30 years. Currently I >> have a Rohn 25 based tower that is about 35 feet above my flat roof. On >> the >> tower is a tri-band Cushcraft ATB-34 and 2m/440 comet antennas. The beam >> and tower date from the time I became a ham. >> >> I am building a new home in an established neighborhood in West Salem, >> Oregon. The CCRs have expired, so I am not restricted from a tower setup. >> My new QTH is high in the west hills of Salem. The view to the east is >> amazing as the ground slopes away. To the west, the terrain has a slight >> rise. I am 68 yrs. old. I don't want to have to climb a tower again. >> My >> home will be two stories with the garage level under it. The peak of my >> roof will be about 34 ft. above grade. My new tower location will be >> about >> 32 feet from grade to the peak of the roof. The roofline will run N-S >> with >> the tower on the west side of the house. >> >> I have decided to purchase a new smaller lightweight crankup tower and a >> smaller tribander such as the Mosley TA-33 JR-N or NW. I have seen the >> US >> Towers MA-40, a 20-41ft. crankup as one type. It comes with a tilt over >> base add-on which would allow me to service the antenna from the ground. >> This particular two section tower can crank down to 20 ft., thus not being >> visible from the street east of the house. It's max height is 41 ft. >> which >> would put the antenna only 9-10 ft. above the roofline when transmitting >> to >> the East. I want to put a winch on the tower so I don't have to >> physically >> crank it up by hand as I get older. With this background I have two >> questions: >> >> 1.Will the yagi attached to the tower with only 9-10 ft. height above >> the roofline (41 ft. tower) be an effective radiator and receive antenna >> on >> 20-15-10 meter bands to the East? Being on the West Coast, this will be >> the >> direction of most of my mainland US contacts. To the N-W-S, the antenna >> will be 41 ft. above the ground, so no problem. >> >> 2.I am not committed to any particular crankup tower. The US Tower is >> just the one I have seen on the internet. I would be interested in any >> lighterweight fold over crank up tower up to 50 ft. I think a tubular >> constructed type tower would be my preference due to weight of >> installation. >> A triangular designed crankup may be ok, too. >> >> I know I can have a larger tower and antenna, but I want my setup to be >> neighbor friendly. I am not a contester, and will never operate over 100 >> watts. It is nice to be able to work a station if I can hear it. I also >> want the advantage of a horizontally polarized antenna with gain. I have >> been spoiled with that setup over the years. >> >> Just as an aside, my other antenna is a horizontal loop about 250 ft. in >> length that I use for all the other bands. It is up about 30 ft. >> suspende
Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower
I guess since the thread is still alive, and because I use my Elecraft rigs with said tower :) I'll wade in here, because I spent a fair amount of time researching this two years ago before reinstalling my Wilson TT-45, which is very similar. Everyone is right, one way or the other. The tower wind curve I have shows 3 square feet of wind load for a total tower height of 43 feet in a 78 mph wind. Another 50 mph curve supplied with the rotating base is done at 50 mph, and says 12 square feet at a total height of 45 feet. But both curves, as well as the more recent US Tower data, rely on the use of a house bracket in the analysis. A much more recent US Tower doc shows 4.8 square feet of wind load, for 85 MPH 3 second gusts, but with the tower at a height of 21 feet. This was from a California PE analysis, and it also referenced the house bracket. So the answer, "it depends" depends on at least wind speed (or gust) used, what base, the use of a house bracket, height of the mast in the top section, and what the current sq ft numbers for your antenna happen to be, which seem to be changing in some cases :). After crunching some numbers, I decided to limit my use to 34 feet self-supporting with a hex and a rotating base . It's definitely worth doing the math. I'm happy to share PDF's of the reference stuff with anyone that needs it. Scott ka9p (sorry Eric) In a message dated 7/13/2016 5:08:53 P.M. Central Daylight Time, w6vy...@gmail.com writes: Hi Mike, I don't know where the 3 SQ-FT comes from. US Tower does not publish ratings for the MA series any longer. I have had an MA-40 since 1982 and at that time the rating was 10 SQ-FT @ 50 MPH winds fully extended. I have confirmed this with US Tower in the past. I was also told at that time that they do not rate the tower retracted. There have been some new regulations concerning tower ratings in the past couple which is probably why they do not list it now. I have had a 3 Element SteppIR on this tower since 2006. The HRO website still lists the rating at 10 SQ-FT. That being said, I do retract the tower if winds of 50 MPH are predicted or if I am leaving for any length of time. My base is 3 X 3 X 5 which was recommended at that time and I have the drawings for that. I think the 3 SQ is indicating the size of the extended portion which is 3 inches square. Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2016 04:01:47 -0700 (MST) From: Mike K2MK To:elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Need advice on Small Tower Message-ID:<1468407707184-7620050.p...@n2.nabble.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi Terry, I'm moving and I've just sold my MA40 with the MARB40 tilt over/rotator base. It's a fine tower for small loads. Be careful, it's only rated at 3sqft load when the tower is cranked down to the 21 foot level. I had a 2 element SteppIR yagi on it and I would crank it down if winds over 20 or 30 mph were forecasted. Cranking it up and down is very easy on the arm. It cranks easily but requires 100 cranks. Tilting it over and cranking it down and back up requires much greater effort until the mast is at the 45 degree angle. I would have liked to have a power driven winch for that operation. The foundation for this mast is substantial with lots of rebar. I'm selling my house and just had the top 12" of concrete removed so that I could replace it with grass. It took a crew longer to remove the 12" then it did for the crew to dig and pour the foundation in the first place. I'm thankful I didn't have to any of the work. This mast can actually be handled by one person if you have moderate equipment to help. I had a wheeled lawn cart for rolling it around and a Harbor Freight 1 ton shop crane for taking it off of the flat bed delivery truck and helping to engage and dis-engage the mast into the MRB40 unit. With two people it's a very simple job. All of my experiences were good and given the opportunity I would not hesitate to purchase another one. I have a personal website with lots of photos. Contact me directly if you want the link. k2mk at comcast dot net 73, Mike K2MK __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to k...@aol.com __ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
