Hf Antenna Tower

[Janeen Bahrke]

Atthe heart of every successful radio installation is the antenna support structure, because there is no substitute for a radio antenna that has sufficient height! That is why DX Engineering offers easy shopping of an extensive selection of antenna towers, masts and accessories with super-low freight costs that lead the industry. Choose from free-standing, bracketed or guyed tower packages and components from ROHN Products, American Tower Company, TBX and more. DX Engineering stocks a huge supply of Phillystran guy lines, grips and a wide variety of tower guying hardware. We have many other antenna tower sections, parts...

I used a 2m wooden broom pole as an insulator, and wire-tied 12-2 romex to the end, leaving about 1m of wire hanging off the bottom. I exposed about 5cm of wire at the end, and on the hot dog attachment point, I bent the wire into a three-pronged 'hot dog fork'. The other end, I left the three wires flat, so they would easily clamp to a set of jumper cables, which would then be attached to the tower's extensive grounding system.

This experiment was a failure: the hot dog was not even warm to the touch, after holding it thus for around 30 seconds. (Any longer and we were getting near the employee safe exposure limits for this broadcast tower in its daytime pattern, approximately 6 kW).

I looked at the county the city is in and they do not have any stipulations on ham radio antennas and towers, except that they are free to be up to 100ft, and if taller is needed, a form to apply for a tower greater then 100ft is available.

Does anyone know what can I do to get permission or a permit from my city so I can install a 50ft tower? Is there a ruling or a federal form that I can pursue to gather all the appropriate paperwork before I go to the city hall to apply?

It seemed the person I spoke with may not have been familiar with this issue. I did look up laws on amateur radio antennas in the city, and a commercial tower can not be put up in a residential area, but this does not apply to a licensed amateur radio operator. I mentioned this and he said as long as it does not exceed the height of the house. He obviously does not understand why the tower has to be taller then the house.

What you're interested in is "PRB-1", which says that, in essence, since radio communications is a federal function regulated by the FCC, state and local zoning laws can't encroach on the FCC's authority when it comes to radio communications, including amateur radio. Further useful commentary on PRB-1 is provided by Fred K1VR.

In particular, fixed height limits are not valid. Requiring you to engineer the hell out of a tower if it's less than its own height from your property line is something they can do. Blanket banning a tower over a certain height for safety or aesthetic reasons without considering the use it will be put to or the benefits conferred by that height isn't.

I was watching new intro videos on the Tablo YouTube channel and I saw they were showing an antenna pointer in-app and I never saw this in my initial set up. This should always be shown before starting a channel scan post-setup. How can I use this feature now?

It started over 2 years ago when my wife and I decided to downsize and chose a home for us to enjoy our final years. I was also looking for a home that had a view and would allow a ham radio tower to be erected.

I had a Mosley Classic 33, 10M, 15M 20M, tuner for voice, auto tuner had fits if I wanted to do FT8. I was looking for something that would provide good results for low sun cycle propagation. That meant wanting 20M and 40M and the other bands would be nice when the sun cycles improved. I focused on 3 elements vs 4 elements. So, I settled on the SteppIR DB18, because I could not justify a $2000 increase for an antenna that gave less than 2dB more gain. Also, this antenna allows me to flip the antenna 180 in like 2 seconds, make the director the reflector and the reflector the director

Also, at the entry point into the house, there is a ground rod that I have an RF lightning arrester attached to. There are no lightning arrestors for the control cables. This ground rod is also grounded to the point of entry ground rod and is the ground point for all of my radios and support equipment.

You will need a gin pole or a winch system, guy wires, turnbuckles, a sturdy base plate, and appropriate hand tools such as wrenches and screwdrivers. Safety gear like gloves, helmets, and harnesses are also essential. Additionally, having a level and measuring tape can help ensure the tower is erected correctly.

To ensure stability, properly anchor the base and use guy wires to secure the tower at multiple points. The guy wires should be anchored at a distance from the base that is approximately equal to 60-70% of the tower height. Regularly inspect the guy wires and turnbuckles for tension and wear.

Common safety precautions include wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), checking the weather conditions to avoid strong winds or storms, ensuring the area is clear of obstacles and power lines, and having a clear communication plan with your team. Never attempt to raise or lower the tower alone.

It is not recommended to raise or lower a 40' aluminum antenna tower by yourself due to the risk of injury and difficulty in managing the tower's weight and stability. Always have at least one or two assistants to help with the process to ensure safety and proper handling.

Certain collocations, such as those involving a height or footprint increase, may also require compliance with these same processes. See the Amended Collocation Agreement and other sections below for more information about collocations that require compliance with NHPA, FAA, and ASR rules, and NEPA.

NEPA requires an agency to consider and disclose the environmental effects of its actions to improve decision-making and encourage transparency, public participation, and accountability. Effects are defined broadly to include ecological, aesthetic, historic, social, cumulative, and indirect effects.

NEPA has three levels of review, depending on the significance of the effect (which, in turn, depends on the context and intensity of the action; for example, a tall, guyed tower in an ecologically sensitive area is likely to have more significant effects than a short, unguyed tower in an industrial area):

NEPA does not mandate an outcome or prevent projects from moving forward; it only requires consideration of effects and of alternatives to avoid, minimize, or mitigate the environmental impact of a project. Each federal agency adopts its own procedures to implement NEPA, and the Council on Environmental Quality oversees NEPA implementation.

Facilities constructed by FCC licensees or to support FCC-licensed services are subject to environmental review and must comply with agency environmental regulations implementing NEPA. The rules apply to all licensees, applicants, registrants, and owners of facilities used for FCC-licensed service, such as commercial licensees, utilities, public safety entities, railroads, and mining companies. Tower owners that are neither licensees nor applicants must also follow these rules if they intend to host antennas supporting licensed service. These regulations ensure agency compliance with the NHPA and the ESA as well.

While the agency has delegated the initial assessment of CatExs (and certification to that effect if required) and preparation of EAs to licensees and applicants and/or tower owners, the obligation to comply with NEPA rests with the FCC.

FCC environmental rules categorically exclude all actions from detailed environmental review except those associated with the construction of facilities that fall into certain categories. The categories of facilities requiring environmental assessments (EAs) include those facilities:

Complying with FCC environmental regulations requires completing an analysis of these categories and making a determination as to whether there may be a significant environmental effect prior to completing FCC applications, including but not limited to Forms 601 (for Radio Service Authorization) and Forms 854 (for Antenna Structure Registration) and prior to construction. Analysis includes, for example, compliance with ESA and NHPA requirements as described below. Regarding RF radiation, applicants must determine whether their facilities qualify for an exemption from environmental processing under 47 CFR 1.1307(b)(3). If an applicant does not qualify for an exemption, it must prepare an evaluation of human exposure to RF radiation pursuant to 47 CFR 1.1310 to confirm that the proposed facility will be in compliance with the limits in 47 CFR 1.1310 or to determine that it must prepare an EA evaluating the effects of RF that exceed the limits in 47 CFR 1.1310. Applicants submitting EAs for any reason should indicate in the EA which subsection of 1.1307(b)(1) applies to their project and include any required confirmation statement or analysis.

Despite the presumption of actions being categorically excluded, the agency may order additional environmental review of facilities beyond those listed above, or upon consideration of public comments.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which administers the ESA, provides an online mapping tool to determine which species and habitats may need to be considered for proposed facilities. A qualified biologist or the USFWS must determine the type of effect a proposed facility will have on protected resources.

The USFWS has formulated voluntary guidelines for tower siting to address potential effects on migratory birds. These guidelines include suggestions on tower siting, height, and lighting to avoid adverse effects to migratory birds. The Avian Power Line Interaction Committee (APLIC), a collaboration of the utility industry, wildlife resource agencies, conservation groups, and manufacturers of avian protection products, also developed guidance for methods to reduce bird/power line electrocutions and collisions which reduces bird mortalities and associated power outages. Tower owners should consider incorporating these guidelines into their tower projects and maintenance operations.

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