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Current Feature Articles   Nov 20 The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler   Nov 20 Adventure in the Arctic: VO2A Expedition to Labrador   Nov 20 Surfin': More Radio Piracy on the High Seas   Nov 16 Youth@HamRadio.Fun: Fall Magic   Nov 13 Surfin': The Real Pirate Radio   Nov 06 Surfin': Homebrewing Today   Nov 05 DX the Hard Way   Nov 02 ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up to Lately?   Nov 01 It Seems to Us: It Doesn't Just Happen   Oct 30 Surfin': Mapping Up ARRL Products: Help for Beginners (More) Understanding Basic Electronics -- This book provides a stepping-stone to learning electronics. With the foundation it helps you create, you'll be ready to learn more advanced concepts. Basic Antennas -- An introduction to antennas--basic concepts, practical designs, and easy-to-build antennas! Basic Radio -- FINALLY--an introduction to radio FOR EVERYONE!--what it does and how it does it. Simple and Fun Antennas for Hams -- Lots and lots of real world, practical antennas you can BUILD YOURSELF! US Amateur Radio Bands - ARRL Frequency Chart (11 x 17") -- Full color, size 11 x 17 inches.

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When you go to all the trouble of erecting a tower, you do not want to find the tower in your neighbor's pumpkin path after the next storm. So, do it right the first time by visiting this week's Surfin' site on the Web.

The ground is freezing up real nice now in this part of the country and the last thing on my mind is erecting a tower. Christmas tree erecting, yes, but antenna tower erecting? I don't think so. But I am a sucker for a good Web page, even if the page is all about erecting a ham radio tower even though winter is quickly approaching. So, despite the weather, this week we visit the Web site of Didier Juges, KO4BB, of Shalimar, Florida, who just finished putting up a new tower and documented the task on the Web "in the hope that it will be useful, but without any warranty of any kind."

KO4BB's Tower Building Project Web page describes how to put up an antenna tower so that it stays up.

KO4BB's Tower Building Project Web page is Didier's early holiday gift to you who are contemplating a new tower after the spring thaw, or for those of you lucky to live in warmer climes, after the tax refund check arrives.

Didier uses text and photos to record the undertaking and refers to Nylo's Notepad (N1LO's home page) as a source for a "tremendous amount of information on tower building and anything related." Didier also highly recommends to making "sure to get the necessary permits for your area, if applicable, and if you have any doubt, talk to a professional civil engineer even if it's not required by local regulations."

After reading all about Didier's tower adventure, I feel a little warmer and hope you will be enthused, too. Until next time, keep on surfin'

Editor's note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, has a tower that is older than he and the best part is that the tower was free! You can contact Stan, the free tower man, by sending e-mail to wa1lou@arrl.net.

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