Just Got a Tower

[NQ6U]

A local ham just gave me his old Tristao T354 54' crank-up tower. It's a bit rusty but restorable, I think. It does seem pretty light-duty, I think it was intended to be guyed but I can't find a lot of info on it online. Anyone here know about these?

[K7SGJ]

It's junk. I be over in a few hours to haul it off for you.

[ki4itv]

I've got this Déjà vu feeling.
even looked up to check the date. :dunno:

[XE1/N5AL]

I don't know anything about the tower, but are you sure it's not not the CTL-354 model listed on page 14 of this catalog: 1976 TRISTAO CATALOG (http://www.mikeponte.net/hamradio/manuals/1976%20TRISTAO%20CATALOG.pdf)

[NQ6U]

I don't know anything about the tower, but are you sure it's not not the CTL-354 model listed on page 14 of this catalog: 1976 TRISTAO CATALOG (http://www.mikeponte.net/hamradio/manuals/1976%20TRISTAO%20CATALOG.pdf)

Yeah, I think it may be. Thanks for the link.

Edit: Looking more closely at that catalog, I think it's more likely that it's the CTL-154. Too light-duty for an HF beam but it might be okay to support a VHF antenna and/or an inverted V.

[NQ6U]

It's junk. I be over in a few hours to haul it off for you.

After close examination, Eddie, I don't think I can use it. Not enough room on my little suburban lot for the required guys. If you want it, it's yours.

[K7SGJ]

After close examination, Eddie, I don't think I can use it. Not enough room on my little suburban lot for the required guys. If you want it, it's yours.

Tell ya what. next time I'm in the neighborhood, I'll help you run some guy wires. Maybe a couple to Pats place, a set to Tijuana, and, and and and gee, who else do we all know from San Diego? Actually, you might be able to use it for trading stock, or list it on Craigslist. I see all kinds of towers on the CL around here in the same condition you described. Might be able to raise a few bucks to invest in another BA.

By the way, Elektra is on, and that reminds me I have to drop Jennifer Garner (boy she is hot) a line. I FU last time and sent it to James.

[W3WN]

Yeah, I think it may be. Thanks for the link.

Edit: Looking more closely at that catalog, I think it's more likely that it's the CTL-154. Too light-duty for an HF beam but it might be okay to support a VHF antenna and/or an inverted V.
Depends on the beam. You should consider a Hex beam.

[N8YX]

Be a nice tower upon which to place a 6/2/432 Yagi stack. Then run some Alpha-Delta 160-30M slopers from the apex and select among them with an RCS-4 or similar switch.

[K7SGJ]

After close examination, Eddie, I don't think I can use it. Not enough room on my little suburban lot for the required guys. If you want it, it's yours.

Any possibility of putting it in the ground a bit, (or pour a little concrete or bury three of those pre-cast concrete pillars they sell at HD or Lowes for the base), attach a house bracket to the upper part for stability, and then you could probably use 25-30 feet of it without too much trouble. Probably more if you just nest part of it when you aren't using it. Or as mentioned above, you could do some inverted vees which would act as guys. I don't know what you currently have, or if this would even be an improvement. Just thinking out loud..............

[NQ6U]

I bought a gallon of phosphoric acid to remove the rust, figuring that even if I don't use it myself it will be easier to sell/unload if it looks a little better. Once it's been cleaned up, I'll paint it and replace the cable as well.

[W5GA]

Carl, if you use it yourself DO NOT GUY IT. It's designed to be self-supporting. Putting guys on it VASTLY increases the strain on the tower, especially the cable. A buddy of mine in Chula Vista had one for years, and it had no trouble at all supporting a TH-6.

[KK4AMI]

TOWER QUESTION! My property is on a hilltop, so I pretty much have a 360 degree view all the way down to the 0 degree horizon. However I have a lot of 60 to 80 ft oak trees surrounding and on my property. If I wanted to put up a tower, can I get away with a 35 ft tower, or do I need to go over top of the trees to be effective (100 ft)? I assume the trees might attenuate my signal enough to make it a lost cause for a high gain antenna.

[NQ6U]

My understanding is that trees don't typically attenuate signals below 30MHz all that much.

[WØTKX]

Pine tree sap in the needles messes with RF a bit more, but yea.

[NQ6U]

Carl, if you use it yourself DO NOT GUY IT. It's designed to be self-supporting. Putting guys on it VASTLY increases the strain on the tower, especially the cable. A buddy of mine in Chula Vista had one for years, and it had no trouble at all supporting a TH-6.

Doug, the guy who owned it before told me that it was intended to be guyed. In any case, I've decided not to use it for a couple of reasons, the big one being that I can't positively identify the tower make or model so I can't find the engineering data I need to obtain a permit. I'm also a little concerned about the overall condition of the tower; a 50-plus foot tower is potentially a very large liability and if I erect one, I want to cross all my "T"s and dot all my "I"s. I'm thinking instead of just using the very bottom 22-foot section for either my 10m Moxon or for my 6m and 2m verticals.

[K7SGJ]

My understanding is that trees don't typically attenuate signals below 30MHz all that much.


They will if they fall on the transmitter.

[NQ6U]

They will if they fall on the transmitter.

Especially if the operator is there at the time.

[W7XF]

Permits??? Weeeee don't need no steeeeeenkin permits!!!!