Posted: 3/14/2012 7:34:03 AM EDT
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Ok here we go,
I dug out my father in laws tower he left me. It is going to be around 70 foot and has a hy-gain antenna rotator on it. I leave on 2 acres of land with the house and detached 2 car garage on one acre and the other acre is a wide open space. So I am trying to figure out the best location to install the tower. Should I put it as close to the house as possible, or in the back forty? Thanks, Slamming |
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You dumbass.
You put it in your front yard with a ring of rocks painted white around it with 2 geraniums/rock planted around it. When someone complains you halfway bury an old bathtub facing it with a Virgin Mary statue in it and a light inside the tub shining on her. When somebody complains about that you tell them it is a religious shrine and hide behind the First Amendmant. |
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You dumbass. You put it in your front yard with a ring of rocks painted white around it with 2 geraniums/rock planted around it. When someone complains you halfway bury an old bathtub facing it with a Virgin Mary statue in it and a light inside the tub shining on her. When somebody complains about that you tell them it is a religious shrine and hide behind the First Amendmant. Thats funny right there. The only problem is, I would have to move all my old toilets with all my weeds growing out of them to make room for that. 
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I was thinking the closer the better for the feed lines, but was just not sure if it was the best solution.
I would rather spend the extra money on the feed line now and only have to dig the footing once, if it was better for it to be out in the back by itself. Is there any pro/cons with either location? Slamming |
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Depends on your land, powerr lines and trees etc.. If you put it closer to the house, you won't have to run long lengths of coax to the tower. A pic or pics of your land (or MS Paint) would help greatly.  No power lines to worry about. Most of the trees are in the front yard. I will try and get some pic or at least a drawing for you as soon as I can. Slamming |
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Since I didn't see where anybody else asked:
Have you considered a dedicated shack in or next to the garage as another place to affect tower placement? If you're going to spend much time out there as a workshop, it would be nice to have the shack handy. Some XYLs prefer it that way, too. |
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Since I didn't see where anybody else asked: Have you considered a dedicated shack in or next to the garage as another place to affect tower placement? If you're going to spend much time out there as a workshop, it would be nice to have the shack handy. Some XYLs prefer it that way, too. 1dc, That might be an idea to look into. I am always out there. The radios I have found or sitting on one of my benches now, butt they are in the way. Maybe add a room off the back, or a seperate building all together? What do think? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Since I didn't see where anybody else asked: Have you considered a dedicated shack in or next to the garage as another place to affect tower placement? If you're going to spend much time out there as a workshop, it would be nice to have the shack handy. Some XYLs prefer it that way, too. 1dc, That might be an idea to look into. I am always out there. The radios I have found or sitting on one of my benches now, butt they are in the way. Maybe add a room off the back, or a seperate building all together? What do think? Are you in a hurricane/tornado area? I'm thinking a small little multiuse building in the backyard made of cinderblocks with rebar and poured concrete inside the blocks. <edit> Then put all your candles and statues inside and call it a grotto. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Since I didn't see where anybody else asked: Have you considered a dedicated shack in or next to the garage as another place to affect tower placement? If you're going to spend much time out there as a workshop, it would be nice to have the shack handy. Some XYLs prefer it that way, too. 1dc, That might be an idea to look into. I am always out there. The radios I have found or sitting on one of my benches now, butt they are in the way. Maybe add a room off the back, or a seperate building all together? What do think? Are you in a hurricane/tornado area? I'm thinking a small little multiuse building in the backyard made of cinderblocks with rebar and poured concrete inside the blocks. <edit> Then put all your candles and statues inside and call it a grotto. Yea I am in Florida so always have to worry about hurricanes and high winds at time. |
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Are you going to have a 2 meter antenna on it? From what I understand, the higher the frequency the more losses per foot of feed line.
Also, are you going to have an antenna tuner at the base of your tower or in your shack? I have read that some have feed line distance limitations. |
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Tower closer to the shack is better than far away from a feedline standpoint. Is this tower guyed or freestanding? You say you "dug up" the tower, does that mean you dug up the concrete base? Getting an existing concrete base to "settle in" to a freshly dug hole isn't recommended., especially with a freestanding tower.
Building another "shack" is an option, but build it twice as large as you might think you need. Radio gear accumulates quickly! Dedicated power into the shack is a good idea as well as running a 230v circuit while you are at it. |
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Tower closer to the shack is better than far away from a feedline standpoint. Is this tower guyed or freestanding? You say you "dug up" the tower, does that mean you dug up the concrete base? Getting an existing concrete base to "settle in" to a freshly dug hole isn't recommended., especially with a freestanding tower. Building another "shack" is an option, but build it twice as large as you might think you need. Radio gear accumulates quickly! Dedicated power into the shack is a good idea as well as running a 230v circuit while you are at it. Dug up might have been a bad choice of words. The tower was takin down about 10 years ago from Kansas when my father in law passed away and it was stored out behind the garage. He had guy wires on it when I took it down. I still have not found the replacement feet for the tower that goes into the concrete. It will be a new concrete slab. I was just thinking if the tower was out back I would have more room to string different antanas off of it. |
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Partly depends on what you want to put on the tower.
If you're using it as a support for some wire HF log periodic fixed antennas, yeah go to the back 40. If you're putting up a 6m/2m/70cm weak signal contest station, then you want it close to the shack (within reason) to minimize line losses. Contemplate what will happen if your tower takes a lightning strike when you look at locations. |
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Since I didn't see where anybody else asked: Have you considered a dedicated shack in or next to the garage as another place to affect tower placement? If you're going to spend much time out there as a workshop, it would be nice to have the shack handy. Some XYLs prefer it that way, too. 1dc, That might be an idea to look into. I am always out there. The radios I have found or sitting on one of my benches now, butt they are in the way. Maybe add a room off the back, or a seperate building all together? What do think? If you're out there all the time, I'd cut a door and add on (unless you have enough room inside the garage). Makes a lot of sense if you already have air, or were thinking about adding it. The reinforced bunker is another good idea, a variation might be to go underground nearby with a doorway into the garage. I also like the idea of putting in a lube or work pit under a car as an entry to a larger underground bunker, too. Key point is you're going to want to have it handy enough to monitor while you work out there. |
| What Gamma said makes sense. If the tower is going to be for HF, then put it in the back 40. A tower mounted coax switch will eliminate multiple runs of coax to the shack. If you are going to put VHF/UHF antennas on it too, then closer to the shack would be prudent. If it were me, I would put it in the back 40 and dedicate it to HF duties. Then put a second tower near the shack for VHF/UHF, you know..get both! |
