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 Previous: Two Honest Hams |  Next: H&K LiteHelpful hints from other amateurs |
By Rick Lindquist, N1RL
Senior Assistant Technical Editor
n1rl@arrl.org
September 1, 1998
The problem: The bottom section on the W1AW 120-foot tower is deteriorating and must be replaced. The solution: Lift up the tower, remove the old section, and replace with a new one.
 Rust is visible on the right hand tower leg. |
"It's gotta come out of there!" Yes, it was a question of decay, but that wasn't our dentist talking. That was the verdict of W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, on the bottom section of the station's 120-foot tower. The tower--the tallest of the four on site--is the one that makes possible the reliably strong signal for W1AW bulletins and code practice transmissions. "One of the section legs is rusted out," Carcia said. "After 20-plus years, it just has to be replaced."
Sounds simple enough until Carcia also mentions that the guyed tower will not be dropped to repair it. "They're gonna lift up the tower about an inch or so," Carcia explained before the fact. The tower, comprised of Rohn 65 sections, weighs about 2 tons. It was this way or remove the antennas and take the sections off one at a time "and take a week doing it," Carcia said.
The tower was installed at W1AW back in April of 1977--at a time when the ARRL Headquarters expansion project was under way and a crane just happened to be on site. Back in those days, HQ staff members did the job themselves. The crew consisted of Bob Myers, W1FBY, who designed the new tower and antenna system, plus former staffers Jim Cain, K1TN, and Jay Rusgrove, WA1LNQ--and some last-minute help from current Executive Vice President Dave Sumner, K1ZZ.
One hurdle the original tower project had to overcome was the presence of the legendary W1AW wire rhombic. The crane had to lift the new tower over the antenna, which was mounted on a sequence of utility-type poles. The rhombic is long gone, but the remnants of the cedar poles remain.
This job requires a crane--a very large crane. It is not for the faint-of-heart. Matt Strelow, KC1XX, of New Hampshire has maintained the W1AW towers for a few years now. He agreed to take on this particular task as well, but he concedes that this particular approach is not especially common. In addition to replacing the bottom section, the crew also would replace the guy cables.
Hear the Story!Rick Lindquist, N1RL, interviews (RealAudio: 56 seconds) W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, who explains how the tower repair will be accomplished. |
The weather cooperated on the appointed day--July 23--although it was quite hot and muggy. By the time the job was nearing completion, a thunderstorm was well on its way. Because a W1AW qualifying run had been scheduled for that day, Carcia had installed a folded dipole in some nearby trees to sub for the usual fixed monobander on the tower. Then, the crane in place, the tower crew set about preparing for the great tower levitation trick.
The crew moved quickly, setting up the new guy cables and then attaching the crane's harness at the top of the tower. Then came the moment of truth: The crane operator applied just enough lift to pick up the entire tower and hold it approximately an inch off the base. Seeing the huge tower suspended just above its base was a little eerie--almost like one of those David Copperfield tricks on TV.
Bolts on each tower leg were carefully removed. Then, the old section was swung away and lowered and the new section brought up to replace it. New bolts were installed, the new guy wires deployed and tensioned, and the whole business was wrapped up within a few hours of starting. W1AW was back on its regular 40 and 20-meter antennas for the evening bulletin transmission.
Here's the camera's eye view of the entire procedure:
(Each image is a link to a larger copy of the photo.)
 The crane truss is ready. |
 Andy Toth attaches new guy cables at the tower mid-point. |
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 At the very top of the tower, Andy completes the attachment of the lifting truss. |
 Andy and Matt make some guy adjustments on the ground. |
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 Sidewalk supervisors included ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ (l), and W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q. |
 "Hold it right there!" Matt hollers to the crane operator. |
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 The levitated tower. |
 Matt tackles a tough nut to remove the old bottom section. |
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 Matt removes the final bolt on the old section. |
 The ground crew, Andy and Al Kinnon, KD1EA, swings the old section away. |
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 Matt is left momentarily twisting slowly in the wind. |
 The ground crew hoists the new section into place. |
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 With Matt's help from above, the ground crew jockeys the new section into position. |
 The ground crew fits the new section over the pier post at the tower base. |
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 The ground crew aligns the new section. |
 Matt bolts in the new section. |
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| Previous: Two Honest Hams | Next: H&K Lite Helpful hints from other amateurs |
