When I was getting quotes for homeowners insurance I specifically asked my agent about coverage for my tower. It turned out that for just a few dollars a year I could purchase a rider to cover my tower, however the standard $1,000 deductible applies, and it’s not clear if the antennas and rotor are covered. I decided that I was okay with that for the time being.
But I recently upgraded three smartphones, two being Apple iPhone 6s devices, and a Samsung Galaxy S7. The cellular provider is happy to provide coverage for accidental damage for only $9/mo per device, with a $50 deductible, and I have to send the phone off to some 3rd party to attempt to repair it, and if they can’t, they replace it with a “comparable” refurbished device. That doesn’t sound like a good deal at all.
Instead, I purchased a policy from Ham Radio Insurance Associates to cover not only my ham radio equipment, but my smart phones as well. The coverage was less than $100 a year. Next year I’ll probably add my tower, antenna, and rotor to the policy as well, instead of purchasing the rider to my homeowners policy.
If you are wanting to insure your ham radio equipment, be sure to check out HRIA. They have great rates, and the agent is a ham operator.
Ufer ground, I had never heard the term before, I had to read up on it. It’s a pretty smart way to augment your grounding with materials you were already using. How did you decide how much steel to use to avoid concrete flaking/decay?
Man the Limestone has been the bane of this project eh? Do you know if it’s good ground? It wouldn’t seem like it would be as effective as soil, but that is a guess. If the water table kept the limestone saturated it might be a fairly good ground. Huh, I’ll have to go look that up next 🙂
I learned of the UFER a little over 10 years ago when I started studying up on grounding for tower sites after I tired of chasing behind storms fixing the destruction from lightning while I was working in the cellular business. My employer didn’t understand lightning protection at all, and while it was great job security, the 3am trouble calls were getting tiresome. I went from multiple failures per month at one site to none over the next year until I left that job.
As for how much steel to use, I went a bit overboard. A friend that does lots of ham towers did the rebar and welding, so I went with what he recommended, which was more than what Rohn specified in their foundation drawings. I figured more than the minimum is good.
If I never saw any more limestone it would be too soon! It’s a HORRIBLE conductor. Something like 1000 times more resistive than normal soil. That’s not good at all.. But what can a guy do? Closer to the house it’s all backfill from when the basement was dug, so I’m trying to drive rods about 36-42 inches from the foundation, where there’s no rock.
Now, if I wanted the perfect ground I would run 2 inch strap all the way around the house, with 10′ ground rods every 20 feet or so, and 3 radials coming off the tower itself with 3 ground rods on each. But that’s not practical in a residential setting, nor is financially feasible. So compromises have to be made. I hope to add to the grounding in the spring when I have a bit more money, and time.