30 feet of rust free tower, my old Ringo and 50 feet of old RG8 for $150 - Should I?

[FPR1981]

Yesterday I spoke of my old Ringo antenna. It was my first base station antenna and I told it to a friend in 1994, along with 50 feet of the old RG8 -- the thick stuff. He had a brand new tower installed with a nice fastening bracket. It is still standing today.

Originally he was going to just give me back the antenna if I wanted it, citing the fact the SWR is sitting at 3.5 and the antenna is all in one piece and properly mounted atop a tower. Then he tells me he wants $150 for the tower, the coax and the antenna. That 50 feet of RG8 was damn near 20 years old when I sold it to him in 1994. Would it still be good today, provided it isn't kinked or broken?

And the tower is still nice bright silver. It was brand new when he put it up, and it was painted and cared for. Honestly, I need some tower for the Super Scanner antenna I am acquiring, and this tower is super nice, but is it worth me spending $150 for all of this? Part of me really wants my antenna back out of sentimental attachment.

Opinions?

 

[alcahuete]

I would probably replace the 20 year old coax, but $150 for a 30' tower is a great price.

 

[jonwienke]

The coax probably needs replacement. New 10-foot tower segments are about $100 each, so half that for rust-free used isn't bad, regardless of the condition of the antenna or coax.

The coax may be the cause of the high SWR.

 

[FPR1981]

I would probably replace the 20 year old coax, but $150 for a 30' tower is a great price.

It's actually probably more than 40 years old. It originally came off of a set of PDL-2s that were installed in 1978 or 1979. I wasn't sure how coax ages and if it would be worth keeping, considering it's the heavy stuff.

 

[jonwienke]

Time to replace it.

 

[alcahuete]

It's actually probably more than 40 years old. It originally came off of a set of PDL-2s that were installed in 1978 or 1979. I wasn't sure how coax ages and if it would be worth keeping, considering it's the heavy stuff.

Replace it, for sure. Coax is cheap enough. The price is worth it for the tower though.

 

[wa8pyr]

I would probably replace the 20 year old coax, but $150 for a 30' tower is a great price.

Ditto, grab it. Ditch the coax and get a new antenna, but enjoy the tower.

 

[DJ11DLN]

If the tower is really rust-free then that's a great price, I'd grab it for sure. Ditch the old co-ax though.

 

[mmckenna]

Make sure that the tower is rust free on the INSIDE. The issue that often happens is that water/condensation can collect inside the tower legs and rust it out from the inside. Might look fine on the outside, but be crap on the inside.

Might be fine, might not. It'd be a pain in the but to climb to the top of a 30 foot tower and discover one or more of the legs are rotten. New tower segments are cheaper than a long hospital stay, or a dead FPR1981.

Coax goes bad because the outer jacket can break down. Improperly waterproofed connectors can allow water intrusion that will corrode the copper from the inside of the cable out.

Get some new Times-Microwave LMR-400 or LMR-600, have the dealer install the connectors for you. Then waterproof the hell out of them.

 

[wtp]

the rule of thumb is, after 5 years in the elements, replace it.

 

[K4EET]

Make sure that the tower is rust free on the INSIDE. The issue that often happens is that water/condensation can collect inside the tower legs and rust it out from the inside. Might look fine on the outside, but be crap on the inside.

Might be fine, might not. It'd be a pain in the but to climb to the top of a 30 foot tower and discover one or more of the legs are rotten. New tower segments are cheaper than a long hospital stay, or a dead FPR1981.

Coax goes bad because the outer jacket can break down. Improperly waterproofed connectors can allow water intrusion that will corrode the copper from the inside of the cable out.

Get some new Times-Microwave LMR-400 or LMR-600, have the dealer install the connectors for you. Then waterproof the hell out of them.

@FPR1981, what @mmckenna ^^^ said!!! I second the motion...

 

[K4EET]

@FPR1981, do you know what the tower is (manufacturer and model)? How is the base secured? Does it have a poured concrete base? If the sections are Rohn 25G, does it have a Rohn BPC25G Concrete Base Plate or better yet a Rohn BH25G Hinged Base Plate? If you cannot tilt the tower down horizontal to the ground, you will need a Rohn EF2545 Gin Pole to remove the top sections first. Hopefully you can rent that from an equipment rental company because they are not cheap. Whoever climbs the tower, make sure they know what they are doing, have the right safety equipment and the right tools for the job. Old tower disassembly is not for the inexperienced. Within Public Safety, we see way too many accidents that have really bad outcomes.

 

[FPR1981]

@FPR1981, do you know what the tower is (manufacturer and model)? How is the base secured? Does it have a poured concrete base? If the sections are Rohn 25G, does it have a Rohn BPC25G Concrete Base Plate or better yet a Rohn BH25G Hinged Base Plate? If you cannot tilt the tower down horizontal to the ground, you will need a Rohn EF2545 Gin Pole to remove the top sections first. Hopefully you can rent that from an equipment rental company because they are not cheap. Whoever climbs the tower, make sure they know what they are doing, have the right safety equipment and the right tools for the job. Old tower disassembly is not for the inexperienced. Within Public Safety, we see way too many accidents that have really bad outcomes.

My tower guy is a licensed contractor who is a personal training client of mine. He used to work on cell and radio towers years ago and he is very cautious. I will NOT be undertaking a tower removal myself, lol. I'll leave that for someone crazier than me

 

[FPR1981]

I went over to take a look for myself at the tower and antenna, and his description of "rust free" quickly became "surface rust only." The tower appears to be otherwise nice, and so is the bracket.

 

[K4EET]

Hi @FPR1981, now that you've had some time to think about it, are you going to go for it? From what we know by your postings, it sounds like a worthwhile endeavor. You might want to try to leave a caveat with your friend that if any "big surprises" are found during the takedown process, you reserve the right to renegotiate the deal. At worst, you can tell them that you will do your best to get the tower on the ground. You can hopefully reclaim your Ringo if it can be brought down safely by climbing the tower. During that climb if some really bad spots are discovered making the tower worthless, perhaps you'll have an intact Ringo even if the rest of the tower has to be dropped (in the case that it would not be safe dismantling it). At that point, they would need to pay the tower crew for dropping the tower (and carting away as scrap metal if included) and you could give them $10 for the Ringo. At least I think that is how I would approach it. 73, Dave, K4EET

 

[mmckenna]

There are safer ways to do this….

Rather than hiring a tower crew to take that down, find someone with a truck mounted crane. Hook the tower above the half way point. Remove/cut the anchor bolts. Lift the whole mess clear from the house and lay it down. Or, lay it down from the roof, away from the house.

I'd not climb a tower that looked like that, likely was never maintained, and/or someone was going to charge me to take. Even at 30 feet. On the flip side, you should probably be charging HIM to remove it.

One thing they teach you in climbing school is to know when NOT to climb.

 

[K4EET]

@mmckenna has very good points there. Worth seriously thinking about. Nobody wants any injured, maimed or dead bodies as a result of this project.

 

[FPR1981]

There are safer ways to do this….

Rather than hiring a tower crew to take that down, find someone with a truck mounted crane. Hook the tower above the half way point. Remove/cut the anchor bolts. Lift the whole mess clear from the house and lay it down. Or, lay it down from the roof, away from the house.

I'd not climb a tower that looked like that, likely was never maintained, and/or someone was going to charge me to take. Even at 30 feet. On the flip side, you should probably be charging HIM to remove it.

One thing they teach you in climbing school is to know when NOT to climb.

What's funny is that a roofing crew told his mother they'd take the tower down.... for an extra $750.

Really made me half insulted for a second.

 

[StaticDischarge]

Rusted tubular tower legs.. Test the legs at the base with a heavy pick to see if you poke through.. (probably will).. if so a sawsall and some space will do the job..
To keep the antenna I'd rent a sky lift (bucket truck) to avoid climbing.

 

[mmckenna]

What's funny is that a roofing crew told his mother they'd take the tower down.... for an extra $750.

Probably wouldn't want a roofing crew doing that sort of work, but the price is in line with what I've seen. I've spent close to $2K to have an old tower removed from one of the rooftops at work. I'm the only certified climber at work, so not something I could do. Hiring professionals that have insurance for that sort of work isn't cheap.

As StaticDischarge said, a long piece of rope and a sawzall would be a good approach. No way in he77 I'd climb that thing.