Well I think its kind of funny. I keep looking up at my 30 foot TV antenna and thinking how hard could it really be to just go up there and flip it on its side. Or even disconnect it, lower it to the ground, work on it and take it back up and re install it. I was thinking just unbolting the rotor mount and lowering the whole assembly with a rope or something.
My mom doesn't want me to climb the antenna because she is afraid I will fall and she knows I don't like heights. She offered to do it though. Um ya, I am going to send my 75 year old mom with dementia and vertigo up a tv antenna because I am too big of a wuss lol. She said just call the antenna guy and see if he will do it, how much could it cost really. I thought, well its worth a shot, doesn't hurt to ask.
I drive a local dish and antenna guy, happens to be right down the road. I tell them I bought a fancy new scanner and I have this big TV antenna and the people on the internet said it would work better if I flipped it on its side. I asked what it would cost for someone to shimmy up the tower and flip my antenna. The actually laughed out loud. Then he said "seriously, it would cost more than its worth for sure." He said probably a couple hundred just to come out and climb the antenna, then labor and parts. And he said if it isn't wired or grounded properly I will have to fix that too, and I would have to charge you for it. And in the end it probably wouldn't work a whole lot better than it is now. It probably be better, but not enough to justify the cost.
He said for that kind of money just get the right antenna designed for what you want, then pay me to put it up there. Or like you guys suggested, make different antennas dedicated to the frequencies I want and use a diplexer/triplexer. He said they are not cheap, but neither is he lol. He said satellite work is cheap and fairly easy, and this is most have now. But tower stuff and large antennas gets pricey.
He suggested I either "grow a pair" and do it myself, it isn't that hard technically, or make friends with someone that will climb an antenna for a six pack lol.
What sounds like a better idea, invest in a decent harness and some rope and lower the antenna, fix it up and re wire it, then raise it again. Or make a couple simple antenna's and invest in an inexpensive diplexer/triplexer? I need to get 150, 450 and 850 mhz. Plus or minus about 10 mhz on each band. I don't need to transmit and I am not interested in lower band stuff. I would kind of like to keep the project in the 100 to 200 dollar range. I probably don't even need a specific antenna for 800mhz, that tower is pretty close and its the only one local. I can darn near pick it up with no antenna attached to my scanner.
This isn't life or death or anything, my scanner works pretty decent now. I am just kicking around ideas is all.
Here is a picture of the current TV antenna. It needs a little TLC lol
http://forums.radioreference.com/picture.php?albumid=850&pictureid=4600
My mom doesn't want me to climb the antenna because she is afraid I will fall and she knows I don't like heights. She offered to do it though. Um ya, I am going to send my 75 year old mom with dementia and vertigo up a tv antenna because I am too big of a wuss lol. She said just call the antenna guy and see if he will do it, how much could it cost really. I thought, well its worth a shot, doesn't hurt to ask.
I drive a local dish and antenna guy, happens to be right down the road. I tell them I bought a fancy new scanner and I have this big TV antenna and the people on the internet said it would work better if I flipped it on its side. I asked what it would cost for someone to shimmy up the tower and flip my antenna. The actually laughed out loud. Then he said "seriously, it would cost more than its worth for sure." He said probably a couple hundred just to come out and climb the antenna, then labor and parts. And he said if it isn't wired or grounded properly I will have to fix that too, and I would have to charge you for it. And in the end it probably wouldn't work a whole lot better than it is now. It probably be better, but not enough to justify the cost.
He said for that kind of money just get the right antenna designed for what you want, then pay me to put it up there. Or like you guys suggested, make different antennas dedicated to the frequencies I want and use a diplexer/triplexer. He said they are not cheap, but neither is he lol. He said satellite work is cheap and fairly easy, and this is most have now. But tower stuff and large antennas gets pricey.
He suggested I either "grow a pair" and do it myself, it isn't that hard technically, or make friends with someone that will climb an antenna for a six pack lol.
What sounds like a better idea, invest in a decent harness and some rope and lower the antenna, fix it up and re wire it, then raise it again. Or make a couple simple antenna's and invest in an inexpensive diplexer/triplexer? I need to get 150, 450 and 850 mhz. Plus or minus about 10 mhz on each band. I don't need to transmit and I am not interested in lower band stuff. I would kind of like to keep the project in the 100 to 200 dollar range. I probably don't even need a specific antenna for 800mhz, that tower is pretty close and its the only one local. I can darn near pick it up with no antenna attached to my scanner.
This isn't life or death or anything, my scanner works pretty decent now. I am just kicking around ideas is all.
Here is a picture of the current TV antenna. It needs a little TLC lol
http://forums.radioreference.com/picture.php?albumid=850&pictureid=4600