On Monday, July 3, 1995 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Milt Forsberg wrote:
I have a Rohn 25G up 50 feet less about 3-4 feet in a yard of concrete. There is a Moseley TA-33 at the top and a 2m beam 10 ft above that. There is no house bracket and no guys. It has been in place since 1970. Some of the joints are a bit loose now, so I guess it is time to guy it. I am in central Illinois. I am sure we have had winds over 50mph. Yes, I am amazed it is still standing!
Milt, K9QZI
I had 50 feet standing Rohn 25. Half section was in concrete, then a 4 inch slab over that for like patio, The tower went
through my deck and was trapped by the 2X8 structure and decking around it. The first house bracket was screwed into
the 2nd floor header board. The next house bracket was under the eave, I put a 2X4 across the rafters under the facia,
I put the house bracket against that 2x4. Under the first 2X4 I put a short piece of 2x4 in between the house bracket and
screwed the two 2x4's together (this is what saved my tower...read on). I used the tower for years with no guy wires with
a TA-33A on it and a 4 element 2 meter beam on top. No guys. Now a few years later I put another section in ad the top was
about 65 feet, took the 2 meter beam off and put up a long Comet 2/440 fiberglass antenna on top. I decided to guy it this time.
Two guys over to the roof of my house with 6-2X8's stacked between the trusses with a large eyebolt throught them and a guy on a
12" tree in the back yard. Everything Worked fine for years and then "The F4 Tornado in Chattanooga of 2020" came through, the TA 33 antenna and the Comet ended up in my neighbors back yard! The tower was left standing and the Phillystrand 2400# guy
broke, the one going to a tree in the back yard. The tree was missing too! I had eight 60 ft + trees fall missing our house with now damage to the house, all the trees in my yard were on the ground except one that was broken off. However the tower
remaind standing but was leaning some I thought all the sections were bent. After taking down three sections we noticed they were all straignt and the 42 foot of tower still up just above the gutter appeared straight when we took the house brackets off.
The brackets were bent sideways holding the tower over some. I found out that the tornado pressed so hard on the tower that it took the house bracket and bent the ends of the flat part of the bracket that attached to the tower. So the house bracket
saved the tower but the bracket was bent. I put the house bracket side pieces in a press and straightened them out and attached new angle with holes in it down the side of each bracket for strength. The house brackets cannot take sideways motion of the
tower as built. The real
saver was the two 2X4's I put across the rafters of the hang over and inbetween the house brackets. Incidently I picked up the Comet antenna thinking
it was a goner as was my TA-33 one element looked like a paper clip. Any how I took home the Comet and put it on a tripod on my deck and checked
in on the Oak Ridge Repeater with about 10 watts 100+ miles away, it survived!
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