New (old) tower for KJ4NUN

Pat - KJ4NUN, Sam KC4TAQ

& Don WA4AYY background.

Several of the local hams got together on a previous Saturday to erect a tower for KJ4NUN. We arrived around 9:00 am and were off the site by 4:00 pm. Pat (KJ4NUN) had installed the base in concrete a couple of days earlier, leaving about 18” out of the ground. Some of the guys installed earth augers at the anchor points while the rest were assembling 90’ of R25G. Guy wires were measured out and attached at the 30, 60 and 90’ levels before the lift. Once the tower was lifted into place by the PACRAT, the bottom bolts were installed and the guys pulled into place. I let Chad, KJ4JAK, rig the tower as he had expressed an interest in learning how to stack tower. I took the opportunity to show him one more trick, how to ride the line. I know I’ll get plenty of mail about how that’s not allowed anymore, but “read my lips” as a recent president once said, I don’t care!!! I figure at my age I’ll never be back in the tower business so the powers that be can’t hassle me. I’ve said it many times, if I happen to expire at the end of a short trip from a tall tower, you can tell all present I died a happy guy! And as ET would say, I didn't want to be here anyway. OK, back to the story at hand. Chad has built several towers but used a crane so this was his first time to stack 25 by hand. I set the first section then he set the last 2. The ground crew sent up the last set of guys and pulled then into place after we connected the performs at the 120’ level. The tower will also serve as a wifi access point for around 200 homes in the area. We install a standoff at about 65’ for Pat’s wire antennas

Pat, Don, Gary, Joey & Chad