Setting up shop
This page shows W5AJ & KD5AAU setting up a self supporting crank over tower.
Many of the items shown and discussed however apply to all tower installations _ planning being a main item!
The first picture shows the tower pole stowed for transport to it's new home in 2002.

This picture is taken in the backyard.
Neighbor's workshop in background. He has pet snakes in there!
Boring truck turning a large bit
FWIW: when you look down on the bit turning in the ground it looks like a surry mix of sand like a icee slurppy in a cup.

This what the finished hole looks like.
The boring machine provided clean cut providing virgin undisturbed soil for the concrete. There is no back filling or tamping of soil when your done with this one. This hole is about 7 feet deep.
The rebar cage will be installed then the templet holding the anchor bolts. then concrete!
The order of these items is important....
Made the templet by clamping it against the base unit and spray painting through the bolt holes. Mark the side of the templet and base unit so it points the way you want.

Spencer running the tractor

No pictures of the cement truck.
Things just got a bit heckic directing the truck in backyard.
Used 4000 pound strength concrete
Once setup, rented a jack hammer and cleaned out area for the base plate.

for my charming daughter,
yes I still have that hat, glasses, and shirt

Moving pole into place

Antenna assembly table behind the WTX apple tree
the bugs got the apple tree and everyother fruit tree in WTX

4 element 15

the 20 & 15 meter mono bander setup - had to repair the channel on tubes after that setup...

Sunset

2012 Cable replacement

get a picture / document the wires before starting

Removed all old cable & found places pocket gopher chewed into cable

More 2" PVC pipe

Chair for repair of chewed up cable - about sunset

Chalk mark where you want the new trench

Another view - it really is straight

Pipe in trench for first placement - next day was all post hole digger getting trench deeper

yesterday finished up getting trench deeper & 1st round of dirt covering
hooked up antenna switch 1st with old coax & plugged 9M0L
In the 2" pvc pipe, pull string, new LMR400, old RG213, repaired 6 conductor, repaired rotor 8 conductor, new 8 conductor

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This page last modified on 2018 March

Kemah TX
The qth on Lewis Dr was mile from east of Trinity Bay and Clear Lake to north.
Kemah was second QTH tower went up and provided many years of operating enjoyment there

some triva on this Wilson 77 foot pole. It is NOT the highest wind rating type tower but
being able to crank over was a plus to me. I saw the tower for sale in 88 in the "yellow sheets".
The tower was in SLC and stored. It had never been installed. I think
even at that time Wilson had been out of business for awhile.

PURCHASE and 1st transport:
I contacted Central Trucking in Amarillo and they said if we could load & unload they would move it.
I insisted no fork lifts. They managed the route so it never changed trucks. It was loaded in SLC
came through Amarillo to OKC - then back to Amarillo with only the tower. From there it drove out about
sixty miles to my qth where local hams helped me unload it (one of them had a truck with a boom & steel
cable on it which made it all possible - tnx Mr. King w5gxk(SK))
A fellow who had just bought a boring truck in Amarillo drove over, he wanted to try out his new toy.
He said if I'd pay gas ($50) he'd bore the hole. The tower was up in time for CQ WW SSB and I entered
28mhz single band that year with a 105BA. Later the 105ba came down and a TH6 was installed. In 1990 we moved across the state (12 hour drive) and the company I hired on with covered the pole moving. A friend
at work that saw how sad I was at not having a tower up had his dad divert a boring truck to my house ($zero)
and the tower was up (1991). In that area it was typical to charge $600 to get the truck on site and then
$50 a hole after that. I never saw that boring truck. My wife called me at work one Tuesday to say
they were done - down 8 feet. Poured concrete that same afternoon.
We lived close to the bay and it was easy to hit water and get a good ground there.
Several versions of feeding the tower on 160 were tried.
At one time an aux. pole was attached to the raising fixture and used to hold a 160 dipole.
Midland TX 2002 Midland I had trouble finding a boring machine and finally rented a BIG bit for a company to use to bore the hole.
1st loaded a 204BA and a 15-4CD on the pole. The (two) 204BA came via a Dayton where another
Tx ham picked up the yagi and carried it back to Houston for me. (tnx W5MJ Madison)
That was a few years ago and the beam was stored until now.
Dec. 2004 update. The two monobanders and WTX wind are too much for the guide channel on the tower.
The tower will be tilted over for some extensive repairs and a Tribander will go back on top sometime in 2005.

After the guide rails were repaired - about year later the pull up cable busted.
Lots of damage to A4S and A3W that were top side at the time
Cables were obtained via Kemah hardware and the tower is back in business with A3 in 2009

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you are listening to a NIL QSO happening during CQ WW SSB from P40P with CV5H copyright 2010 by Robert Wood