Posted: 7/13/2010 2:35:19 PM EDT
| Without going into much detail, I'm stuck on satellite internet, but there is a WISP provider in my area. I had someone come out to check around the house. However there was a line of sight issue, as I live in a valley. I am not planning on building a commercial spec comm tower, just something that would 'fix' the line of sight issue. If you guys could point me in the right direction, that would be great! Thanks in advance! |
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How far are you willing to go?
There's a sort of funky, hippie-type museum on the road between ABQ and Taos called "The Gas Pump Museum." He had several 18" tower sections there last time I looked. eta Seems it was on Rte 68 between Velarde and Alcalde. BTW the 18" tower sections I spoke of were 18" ON A SIDE. These were triangular towers made of rebar-like stuff. Each section was 10' in length. |
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Quoted:
Without going into much detail, I'm stuck on satellite internet, but there is a WISP provider in my area. I had someone come out to check around the house. However there was a line of sight issue, as I live in a valley. I am not planning on building a commercial spec comm tower, just something that would 'fix' the line of sight issue. If you guys could point me in the right direction, that would be great! Thanks in advance! Mounting on a flagpole maybe ... either a fixed pole or a fold-over style. |
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Your problem has already been addressed by technology that's over 100 years old - radio. Or more specifically, ham radio operators commonly will erect towers on their property so they can mount their antennas. My advice is to look on some ham radio forums and just say you need some recommendations for good towers and they will be more than happy to point you in the right direction. |
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http://www.texastowers.com/rohn_55g.htm
An example of a "ROHN" tower. Commonly used for ham radio's. Often these can be found in used condition for very cheap. Generally when the old man dies and it gets scrapped. Used Rohn tower sells for $50 per 25 foot section. Or, at least it used to a couple of years ago. |
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Quoted:
Thanks guys! Would there be any regulations for putting up something like thet? ETA: Here's a nub question, if I get one up, would I have to worry about lightening? Yes Yes However, with lightning, the potential damage can be minimized with various methods. Including excellent ground rods and bonding. You are putting up a lighting rod. The chances of getting hit are in the "who knows?" department. |
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The ARRL antenna handbook has good information on lightning protection and do-it-yourself construction options, including an "invisible antennas" section (flagpoles, etc).
I'd ground the mast and use a surge protector on the coax. http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/protect.html http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/bk_ant.html |
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I use the Alpha Delta coax surge suppressors. No problems so far, transmitting up to 100W. .1dB loss on a 0-3GHz frequency range.
It's a hermetically sealed gas filled cylinder (wired to a ground rod) with a low resistance under high voltage. Should work fine if you're in that frequency range. $60 is cheap for the peace of mind. |
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Quoted:
Thanks guys! Would there be any regulations for putting up something like thet? ETA: Here's a nub question, if I get one up, would I have to worry about lightening? Yes, but unless you're close to an airport and not going above 200 feet, you're fine. Lightning is always a concern. There are a couple of ways you can isolate the antenna from the rest of your house. You could give it a heavily fused power supply (which should prevent the bolt from getting into your house's electrical system) and then use either fiber or set up an access point on the tower itself and use wifi. |
