Tower Height and Safety

[W4BD]

Well this is a continuation of the lead item on the main page. I moved over here to get off the page where everybody wants to pay respect to the Family.

Ok so who ever wants to come on over and FLAME me for my opinions about the tower safety thing then here I am
but I will tell you in advance you will not change my mind. What I do on my PROPERTY with my MONEY and my LABOR is of no concern of others.

Bill W4BPK
Donalsonville, Ga.

[WA5KRP]

Not much to go on, but OK.



WA5KRP
Texas

[K9STH]

If whatever you are doing doesn't have any effect on your neighbors then there is some validity to your position.

But, if there is any possibility of what you are doing on your property causing any effect to your neighbors (and others) then that is a completely different situation.

For example, if your tower were to fall and some portion of it were to land outside of your property then that is definitely a cause for concern. If it were to fall within any easement provided for utilities, local government, etc., then there is a cause for concern.

If you were to discharge a firearm on your property and there is any possibility at all of the projectile going off of your property then there is cause for concern.

If any of your buildings or even your grass were to catch fire and it could spread to others then there is a cause for concern.

If nudity is prohibited outside in your area then appearing outside without your clothes where you can be seen by others is a cause for concern.

If you have garbage and trash on your property in which vermin (i.e. rats, mice, roaches, etc.) live this is a concern for your neighbors because those animals and insects can cross property lines.

If you are using chemicals on your lawn that can be washed off by rain or become airborne by the wind that can affect your neighbors then that is a cause for concern.

If what you are doing will affect any minors (including your own children) in an adverse way then that is a cause for concern.

If you are growing, manufacturing or distributing illegal substances (i.e. drugs) then that is a cause for concern.

Now if you want to put up an unsafe tower that is not going to fall outside of your land and are willing to climb it, then that is your right. But, if you ask for anyone to help with working on the tower then that is completely a different matter. You are not only required, but are expected, to provide a safe environment for anyone who is working on your property. As for yourself, and only yourself, if you have no regard for your personal safety, then go right ahead and do whatever you like. However, just as soon as anyone else (including your immediate family) is involved, then things change in a hurry.

Glen, K9STH

[N9YB]

Quote[/b] ]What I do on my PROPERTY with my MONEY and my LABOR is of no concern of others.


Tell that to the zoning board.

[N9YB]

Quote[/b] ]Ok so who ever wants to come on over and FLAME me for my opinions about the tower safety thing then here I am but I will tell you in advance you will not change my mind.


You don't have to change your mind.

However, should you erect a tower and not take prudent precautions to prevent people climbing it and injuring themselves, you share in the blame. If it isn't fenced in, no tresspassing signs are erected or you have put anti-climb in place, the law says you have a problem should someone wish to litigate.

I didn't say it was right to legislate the use of common sense, but thems is the rules in many states.

[W4BD]

Well I am zoned as AGRICULTURE or farm land which for all intents and purposes is no zoning.

No this whole thing is about putting up a tower that some people think is too high. Who gives anybody 3 States over the right to tell me what height tower I can put up or have put up. There is one Ham that I guess is very well educated that has a 300+ foot tower or towers up in North Ga.. Who did he have to ask their permission to build those high towers in the Ham Group.

I will build a couple of towers and they will be I guess you can say towards the middle of my 12 Acres. If they fall it will be on my land. When I laid out my house and shop I got just much in the middle of the land as I could because I don't want people close in on me. I am about 150 yards from my closest neighbor that is house to house. My land runs about 1300 feet E and W and is about 800 feet wide N to S on the West end and about 100 ft N to S on the East end.

Just for the record I don't do any kind of chemicals even beer and as the old saying goes if you bring COKE to my place it better be liquid and served over ice and Mary Jane had better be living and breathing human.

73's

Bill W4BPK
Donalsonville, Ga.

[K9STH]

Remember that at the 200 foot level both the FCC and FAA have to give permission for the tower to be built. Also, at the 200 foot level and above (unless you are within certain distances from an airport, helioport, or recognized water landing area) you have to properly light the tower. If within a certain distance you cannot go up to even the 200 foot level and you still have to light the tower.

Now both the FAA and FCC will routinely approve towers up to 499 feet above ground if there are no nearby airports. At the 500 foot level it becomes a completely different matter. When a tower is proposed at, or above, 500 feet above ground, then public hearings have to be held (this is a matter of federal law).

One time I applied for a tower height of 525 feet not knowing the 500 foot rule. It was approved. In fact, no one even showed up for the public hearing that was held for several different towers. But, the FAA official who was in charge of the Fort Worth FAA office told me to "never" apply for a 525 foot tower again. Considerably taller was fine. However, he had to hold a public hearing for a mere 26 feet and he really didn't like to do that. In fact, he told me that I could build a tower 525 feet tall but to apply for only 499 feet becaue no one was going to come out and measure the tower for 26 feet!

Glen, K9STH

[AI4EP]

ordinary aspirin can be looked upon as a drug.

[K9STH]

If aspirin were a "new" drug today, it definitely would be prescription.

Glen, K9STH

[W4BD]

STH

Well I am about 15 or so miles from the Donalsonville airport. We have a lot of crop sprayers around so no matter what the Law says with the sprayers flying so low to get from the airport to the fields a really tall tower is subject to get hit till they learn its location and program it into their GPS. Lord help any fool that tries to land a seaplane in Lake Seminole because of the trees and stumps out in the water. Some stumps are just below the water and will rip the bottom out of a boat.

I will not go any higher that 150 foot if I go that high. I am 66 years old and I don't bounce like I used to and also I ain't the Man I used to be. My old knees are just getting old. I worked above 200 feet many aday on power houses before there were any walls on it. Before OSHA we used to ride the "headache ball" up to the work area. OSHA put a stop to that but I felt safer on the ball than I did in the elevator or "buck Hoist" that they threw up on the side of the boiler house. I have a tri bander and a 2 element 40M beam to put up and a lot of people say that I will never be able to tell the difference if I put them at 70-80 feet or 150 feet and since I intend to do this myself I may give out before I get 70 feet.

73

Bill W4BPK
Donalsonville, Ga.

[N9YB]

If you are putting up 150' tower on your land (even if it is zoned ag), basically all you need is a construction permit. You will probably have to present papers stamped by a PE showing the foundation and structure have been analyzed to be sound. Then the DX is all yours.

[K8ERV]

Quote[/b] (K9STH @ May 23 2006,18:56)]If aspirin were a "new" drug today, it definitely would be prescription.

Glen, K9STH
And VERY EXPENSIVE, the drug companies would see to that!!

TOM K8ERV #Montrose Colo

[W4BD]

EP and STH

Well the drug companies would love to be able to charge out the yeng yang for everything. I take one pill a day for my type II diabetes. I changed from name brand Amaryl which cost me $36.94 a month to generic which cost $11.80 a month when I refilled this month. Now my question is where did the extra $23 go.

Drug companies and Doctors and well HEALTH CARE in general are GOUGING us to the poor house.

73's

Bill W4BPK
Donalsonville, Ga.

[N2RJ]

People who complain about your tower citing safety concerns probably aren't concerned about safety. They're more likely concerned about aesthetics and the general look of a neighborhood. They don't really care about safety. They just think that ham radio antennas are ugly.

[W4BD]

MH

Well the people that are complaining are HAMS that post on QRZ. I don't know how much you have read on the lead story on the Main Page about K7IX's death. A whole bunch are complaining that nobody needs a 170 foot tower and making a big mountain out of nothing. The Ham who had the 170 foot tower put up had the resources to have it done and when he died somebody bought the property and didn't want or need the antenna. There was no mention made of the tower to come down just the 40M beam. I assume that K7IX had no problems climbing towers. It was an unfortunate accident that took his life but all these Hams jumped in and started chiping their teeth about no need for such a high tower. I started to defend the RIGHT to have what ever you want and can afford and was FLAMED a bit. I moved over here to get away from people wanting to express their CONDOLENCES to the Family.

My neighbors have no say in what I do on my 12 Acres. I have proved that in a Ga. Supreme Court Case in 1992. I don't even have to get a permit to build a 150 foot tower. Some people are saying that I have to get PE to approve the foundation and all that and that may be true where they live but not HERE. We were forced by the State of Georgia to implement Zoning a couple years ago. The State sent an UNFUNDED MANDATE and said that if we didn't start Zoneing and a building inspection they would withhold money. I call it EXTORTION. Stuff like this is what set off the War between the States in 1861. It's called STATES RIGHTS to goveren it's people how they want to be goverened. We have had so many people move down here to the LAKE SEMINOLE from big cities and they want ervything they had up North down here and us people that were raised here we don't want stuff like that. My PROPERTY TAXES have more that doubled in the last 5 years on account of people wanting roads paved and street lights. Now GA is saying that they want to do away with private wells and have everybody on County water and Sewage. Well I am 20 miles from the CIty and their water and sewage and the County has NONE so how do we pay for all this I'll tell you PROPERTY TAX.

I guess I've rambled enough for one post. THE BOTTOM LINE IS IT'S OUTSIDERS TRYING TO TELL OTHERS WHAT TO DO.

73's

Bill W4BPK
Donalsonville, Ga.

[2E0GYD]

Quote[/b] ]They don't really care about safety. They just think that ham radio antennas are ugly.

really??, i think the sight of an aerial farm is a beautiful sight! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

seriously though, whatever you do on your peoperty is your concern and nobody else's

i think the reason why the tower needs to be inspected is that as far as the government is concerned, you could move out within a year, leave the tower, and the next occupants of the house may have kids that will climb up the tower, fall off, then the kid may get hurt, then its not only your concern.

unfortunatly I live in a nanny state where what i eat, drink, do in my spare time, anything i do is everybody's concern, so the government can reduce the number of bad things and make Britain look good in the european union. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

dont let your country decend into a nanny state!

73 de Rick 2E0GYD

BTW, 20 acre! my garden is 15 ft x 15 ft - so much for an english garden