Amateur (Ham) Radio Tower Install Tips 

Great video. Just a note to anyone unfamiliar with Rohn tower sections, especially who might be looking for used. Rohn 20G is a lightweight section intended for TV antennas. It fits 25G but is built with thinner wall tubing and has less bracing. IIRC, 25G has 8 horizontal braces per joint, spaced about 15 inches; 20G has 7 braces, spaced about 18 inches. You can end up in danger if you inadvertently buy used 20G. It can’t support the same antenna or climbing loads. There’s a lot of it for sale as “ham radio” tower now by people who don’t know the difference, since the demise of analog TV broadcasting. It’s not easy to tell the difference when you see them side by side.

Great job.. After being in the power business for over 30 years as an engineer designing electric substations, transmission, distribution and fiber optic lines i really enjoyed your video. The hot dip galvanizing tells me you are a man of wisdom, we used it extensively as it will last 50 plus years.

One of the best ham videos on RU-vid. And I’ve seen several hundred of them. Nice job partner!

Great tour of your system! Many folks also run the safety cable thru the opening in the turnbuckles. You end up with a figure-8 looped safety that prevents the turnbuckles from loosening.

What a sweet setup you have made here. Great video, I learned a lot. Thank you.

Lots of very good information. Thanks. Amazing setup with some really smart safety.

No shortcuts taken, quantity and well engineered job. Well done and I am sure your install will last a lifetime. 73.

Love a quality installation.

Very nice professional looking installation sir

That's cool! Just got my technician and looking forward to doing this one day.

Jim Dandy installation. Especially like your anchors for getting the cable up off the ground and out of the way. Terry

Very nice, clean set-up! Looks like it'll last you a lifetime. Atleast a good bit of it!

Impressive installation.

Great video, very detailed information. However I really thought that with the tilt base you would make some sort of preparation for tilting the tower down. That way u can do antennae maintenance without having to climb. Or during storms.

pretty impressive setup there, i wish i could get my hf beam up 70 ft ,but here in the UK its not quite that easy :( and as i live VERY close to the sea and get multiple cross winds all the time along with the sea air, my 12 m hot dipped tower after 7 yrs is showing signs of wear on the Galv, but i get by , oh to win the lottery and grow a antenna farm :) :)

Excellent video, and excellent tower install - Fine Business! Thanks for sharing.

Now _THAT'S_ a quality tower job.

Glad I built mine when I did. Those section s are almost 300-400 a section now.

Great job.

awesome set up f en perfect!!!!

Outstanding!

Been to 3 star they are amply stocked with all the tower candy you would want.

Thank you!

Great job 👍

Outstanding looks nice KQ4CD Paul 73

Next time use a trap on your coax run like you did on the house then you don't worry about any water in your coax run do it at both ends

The safety cable is supposed to go through the turnbuckles so they don't loosen up on their own. And those quick-links should absolutely not be used where you're using them.

Nice tower

Nice commercial looking install, W9DLP

Ah... Someday I will have something like this 😊 😍

I really enjoyed your video and comments. I don’t think I’ve seen a nicer set up for Rohan 25G ever. I have a question though. Do the Alpha Delta surge protectors induce any loss at all?? W5PN

Awesome

Thanks that is very detailed much appreciated. I am curious if and what you have done for a ground for your radio chassis in your shack as you are on a second level?

Over $180 now thanks for the video

Great job terrific 73 from kb2uew

should have put rotor protection in a box, and not use the braid strap outside in the weather. and also put 90's on your cable pipe to keep water out of conduit. nice install

Very Nice, I think I am ready to install my four-section tower. 73 kb2qlq

Awesome installing, what kind of range can you get on 2m with your beams out of curiosity, thanks in advance and 73 KG5AUB

Nice video. I'm wanting to build a Rohn 25G tower from pieces I bought used. I have enough pieces for about 135' including the top part. How do I calculate how many and where to place the brackets, and how far out to place the anchor rods?

That’s a beautiful set up, how far have you been able to contact with that set up?

👍👍👍👍👍

I wish I had this kind of space. I would have 100 antennas.

Damn the money that went into this got to be nuts!

I don’t see the actual torque bars. They are about 18 inches long and provide a rigid structure to reduce torque and stop actual twisting. All I see is the attachment for the tower. But looks nice. 73. Is this tower still up and running?

73 DX!

I have seen those slip wrap ends slip.i do not trust them..use crimp or clamp ends..for that size tower,@60ft,I only pull 50lb per line...this reduces base weight on the tower....think of the base weight on that base..GLAD it's yours....

Nice work. How far have you communicated?

Tech you

I cross thread my bolts so they don’t come loose.

73 , OZ1KAI

seventy-three

(facebook) amateur radio antennas large and small (all over the world)

It's not a Ron tower it's a Rohn tower Why do southerners call it a RON tower as a retired professional tower erector I'm amazed how hams become authorities on towers when they put up a tower the first time I worked for Stann and Associates for 33 years and a division of the company called Chicago Tower leasing where our smallest tower was 350 feet our biggest was a Bell B series which is 500 feet tall and 8 feet 8 inches on a side so I was fortunate to work on big towers also your safety loops on your turnbuckles should be figure 8 through the center of turnbuckles to avoid tampering . fellow hams be careful when working around towers they can be dangerous I hate hearing about hams that lose their lives when doing tower work. Always remember falling is not an option you should be connect to the tower at all times when climbing utilizing two safety lanyards or monkey tails as they are sometimes called along with approved climbing harnesses not the old fashioned safety belt.

CV joint boots would work great on the ends of the pipe.