I’ve had a Yaesu G-800SA Rotor on my tower since I built it in 2009. I mostly like it, especially the nice big dial on the controller. The fact that it only needs 4 wires to operate is also a plus. One thing I don’t like about this Yaesu Rotor is that it’s very cold… Continue reading Yaesu G-800SA Rotor not turning when cold
Category: Tower
Completed Tower
I just noticed that I’ve never posted a picture of the completed tower. Here it is.
Mostly Done
The tower is now mostly done. The HF antenna is up, as are the 2m and 70cm yagis. The rotor is installed, and rotates. Mostly. There’s a tree in the way of the HF beam, so it can’t rotate. I have a guy with a boom truck coming to fix that little issue. I still… Continue reading Mostly Done
Tower Grounding
Here's a brief summary of the grounding on my tower as it stands today. It's not perfect, it's not even ideal. It's a major compromise. I ran a 2" copper strap from one tower leg to a ground rod about 20' away. The strap is buried underground, but only about 4 inches deep. The reason… Continue reading Tower Grounding
Stacking Tower
I'm way behind on updating here.. The tower itself is up. I home brewed my ginpole using an actual gin pole head I bought on ebay. I added a 10 foot section of 1" galvanized pipe. I didn't buy any brackets, so I used u-bolts to attach it to the tower. Not recommended. And I… Continue reading Stacking Tower
Tower Construction – Part 3
Just a few more updates. The Cedar Rapids Hamfest is Sunday. I will be on the lookout for a nice 2m Yagi to use on SSB. Tomorrow I will be working on tower grounding.
Tower Construction – Part 2
Some photos this time around. To build a tower you have to dig a hole. A pretty good sized one. In my case a minimum of 30" square and 48 inches deep. No problem. In normal soil. I don't live on "normal soil". Our neighborhood is notorious for limestone. Even the electric utility had issues… Continue reading Tower Construction – Part 2
Tower Construction – Part 1
Here is the latest on the new tower. So far I have acquired: 40' of Rohn 25 tower The concrete base plate A Rohn heavy duty house bracket (which needed some modifications) galvanized concrete anchor bolts new Rohn hot-dipped galvanized leg bolts And so the digging of the foundation has begun. And it's been an… Continue reading Tower Construction – Part 1
I have some tower sections
I now have three 10 foot sections of Rohn 25G tower sitting in my yard. I hope to get started soon getting that thing up in the air. I still need a 36″ house bracket. Rohn gets $249.00 plus freight for their heavy duty “universal” model which supports both Rohn 25 and 45 (more on… Continue reading I have some tower sections
Tower – Part 1
Last fall I decided that I would like to start construction of a small tower in spring ’09. I wasn’t sure how many hoops the city would make me jump through, so I got started on that process nice and early. And I’m glad I did. Turns out there is a height limit on “structures”… Continue reading Tower – Part 1