2/15/2016

TowerSpecifications

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TowerSpecifications
Helpingyougetitupandkeepitthere!

SelectingaTowerSupplier
SiteSelection
DesignOptions
EnvironmentalFactors
TwistandSway
Loading
Accessories
Erection
Areferenceforachievingoptimumtowervaluethroughgoodperformancespecification,
featureselectionandfutureuseplanningpractices.Aprintedcopyisavailablebyrequest.

Foreword
Towerspecificationiscreatedtohelpbuyersevaluateandselectalltypesofguyedandselfsupportingtowersandthe
optionsrequiredtomeettheirlongtermtowerneeds.Developedforspecifiersofalltypesofselfsupportingandguyed
towers,theinformationcontainedinTowerSpecificationcanhelpinmakingvalidtowervaluecomparisons.Italso
providesimportanttowerspecificationcriteriaandtheenvironmentalconsiderationscriticaltooptimizingtowervalueand
returnontowerinvestment.

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Note:Materialcontainedinthisbookisgeneralinnature.Besuretocheckalllocalcodesandregulationsbeforeyou
investmoneyorotherwisebegintowerplanningorconstruction.

SelectingaTowerSupplier

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(WerecommendEricksonBroadcastSales.)
Mostreputabletowermanufacturersareabletoprovidetowerswhichmeettheperformancerequirementstypically
specified.Inaddition,mosttypesoftowerscandeliveradequateperformanceifproperlydesignedanderected.Whatthe
buyermustconsideristheengineeringbehindthetowerdesign,thelongtermmaintenance,thefutureuseofthetower
andtheeaseofworkingthroughthedesigntoconstructionprocess.Therefore,itmaybeasimportantforthebuyerto
selectthebestsupplierasitistoselectthebesttowertype.Thebesttowermanufacturerswillbethosewhosharethe
followingattributes:
1.InHouseEngineeringSupport.Lookforasupplierwhohastheinhousecapabilitytodesignatowertomeetthe
particularcriteriaofyourlocationandusage.Bewareofsupplierswhosellreadymadecatalogsolutionstoyourtower
needs.Talltowers,likebuildingsandotherstructures,mustbeindividuallydesignedtomeettheuniqueloading
requirementsofeachlocationandapplication.Ifthereisaquestionwhetheraparticularmanufactureriscapableof
providingyouwiththecustomdesignyourequire,requestatoweranalysiswithyourquotation.
2.Professional,RegisteredEngineers.Besurethatprofessional,registeredengineeringinyourstateisavailable
throughthetowermanufacturer.Thiscertificationassuresyouthatthemanufacturerhasthecredentialsandcapabilityto
designatowerwhichwillprovidetherequiredperformance,andthatthedocumentationwillbetimelyandcertified.
3.TowerExperience.Aswithnearlyanyindustry,thebest,mostqualifiedsuppliersarethosewhohavebeeninthe
businessthelongest.Lookforasupplierwithatleast20years'experience.Besuretoaskforalistofreferences,andcall
themforanunbiasedevaluationofthesupplier'sabilitytodesign,manufactureandserviceyournewtower.
4.Responsiveness.Finally,lookforatowersupplierwhohastheabilitytoquicklygiveyoutherightanswerstoyour
towerdesignquestions,Duringthedesignconstructionprocess,promptresponsetodesignchangesandmodificationsof
documentationcanbethekeytomaintainingcriticalpathscheduling.Inthefuture,youmayalsorequirefastserviceoran
opinionabouttheviabilityofanewapplication.Atimelyresponsetoyourtowerquestionscanbeavaluablebenefitof
selectingtherightmanufacturer.
IdentifyingPerformanceCriteriaItisextremelyimportantthattheperformancecriteriabeclearlydefinedandthatfuture
towerusagebeanticipatedinordertomeetthelongtermneedsofallpotentialusers.Nomatterhowflexiblethedesign,
notowermanufacturer,consultantorinstallercanensureoursatisfactionunlessthetowerisproperlyspecified.The
followingtipsarepresentedasaguidetogoodtowerspecificationpractices.(top)

http://monsterfm.com/tech/tower/towerspecs.htm

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TowerSpecifications

SiteSelection
Itshouldbeconsideredthatsiteselectionmayrequirezoningboard,planningcommission,FAAandFCCapprovals.The
idealsitefromthestandpointofthetowerwillbeflat,levelgroundwithgoodsoilcompactionqualitiesandalowwater
table.Ifaguyedtowerisunderconsideration,thesiteshouldbeofsufficientsizetoaccommodateaguyradius,fromthe
towerbasetotheouteranchorheads,of7080percentoftheoveralltowerheight,plus1520feettoaccommodatethe
foundations.
Actualconditions,infact,rarelymeetalltheabovecriteria.However,areputabletowermanufacturerwillbeabletohelp
youworkthroughtheproblemswithaparticularsitebycustomdesigningthetower,foundationsandguysystem.This
specialengineeringshouldbeaccomplishedswiftlyandatnoadditionalcost.
Ifthetowerrequiredistobeselfsupportingandthelandareaisverysmall,thetowermanufacturershouldbeableto
customengineerthestructuretoaccommodatetheantennatowerheight,antennaloadingandwindloadrequirements
whilemaintainingadesiredbasesizedimension.

Clickheretocontributeand
helpus
withcommunitycauses:

GuyedorSelfSupporting
Inmostcases,thedecisiononwhetheratowerwillbeguyedorselfsupportingwillbedictatedbythesiteselected.Asa
generalrule,above100feethigh,guyedtowersarelessexpensive.Astheheightisincreased,thedifferentialinpricewill
increasegreatly.However,ifthedesiredlocationisinadowntownormetropolitanareawherelandisveryexpensive,it
maystillmakeeconomicalsensetoconsideraselfsupportingtower.

Guyedtowerlandrequirementguidelinesarebasedontowerheight:
Guyradius=70%
SideA=125%
SideB=110%

)R[)0RQ)DFHERRN

GuyedTowers:Mostmanufacturerssuggestastandardouterguyradiusof70percent(80percentformicrowave)ofthe
overalltowerheight.Atthisradius,downloadsonthetowerstructurefromtheguysareminimizedresultingintheleast
costtowertomeetaparticularantennaandwindloadrequirement.Astheguyradiusisreducedbelow70percent,the
downwardpullingforceoftheguysystemisincreasedasaresultofthesharperangleoftheguyrelativetothestructure.
Thisincreaseddownwardforcewillresultintheneedforastronger,moreexpensivetowerandaheavier,moreexpensive
guysystem.Ifproperlydesigned,shorteningtheguysystemto4050percentoftowerheightdoesnotcompromisethe
tower'sabilitytosupporttheloadintendedortomeettherequirementsoftheEIARS222code.However,towerand
foundationcostswilldefinitelybegreater.
SelfSupportingTowers:Landareasrequiredforselfsupportingtowerscanvarybythetowerdesignusedbythevarious
manufacturers.Generally,forthesameapplication,pipeandangleconstructedtowersarewideratthebasethansolid
rodtypetowers.Thisdifferencerelatestothewindloadingimpartedonthestructureitself.Solidrodtowershavelower
overallwindcatchingsurfacearea,thusreducingtheloadingofthestructureandpermittingasmallerbasedimension.
Beforeselectingasiteforaselfsupportingtower,itwouldbeadvisabletocontactseveraltowermanufacturersinorderto
establishthebasesizeofthetower,consideringtheheightandantennaloadingrequirements.
Caution:Acommonerrorintowersiteselectionisinadequatelandavailability.Soiltype,landcontourandeventheeffects
ofnearbystructuresormountainsmayalterthetruelandrequirements.Thebestapproachistoconsultanengineerwith
towerdesignexpertisepriortolandacquisition.(top)

DesignOptions
Designoptionsandtheircorrespondingcostsshouldbereadilyavailabletoyoufromthetowermanufacturer.Atower
quotationpackageshouldcontain:
Alistofallmaterialsincludedinthequotedprice
Landarearequirements
Towerdrawingswhichsummarizethetowercomponents
Foundationspecification
Thetowervendorshouldhavetheabilitytosupplyasetofsealedanalysisandprintsfortheattainmentofzoningpermits.
Agoodtowermanufacturershouldbeabletoprovideallthisintwoorthreedays.
TypesofConstruction
Solidsteelrod,hollowroundtubeandangularsteelarethemostpopulartypesofsteelusedtoconstructtowers.Each
materialhasadvantagesanddisadvantages.Theseincludevariationsinstrength,durability,maintenancerequirements
andreactionstotheenvironment.Thefollowingcomparisonofadvantagesandtradeoffsrevealsthatweldedsolidsteel
rodconstructionoffersnumerousadvantageswhencomparedtoalternativetypesofconstruction.
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SolidSteelRod

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Lowerdragcoefficientsthanangularsteel
constructiontominimizewindandiceloading
Highestcorrosionresistanceforalongerpredictable
life
Solidconstructioneliminatespotentialforcorrosion
fromtheinsideoutasmayoccurinhollowroundtube
construction
Increasedmaterialthicknesscomparedtoangular
members
Infactoryweldedconstructionissuperiorfroma
maintenanceandperformanceperspectiveandyields
exceptionallyeasyinfieldinstallation
Factorypainted,easytomaintainappearance
Prefitteddesignallowsfaster,lowercosterection

Maybeheavierthanangularsteelorhollowtube
towers
Mayhaveslightlyhighercost

HollowRoundTube

Advantages:
Mostefficientengineeringuseofsteel
Easytopaint,likesolidsteelrods

Disadvantages:
Drainholesintowerlegstendtoplugwithdebris,
holdmoistureandbegintorustfromtheinsideout
Usuallyfieldassembled(ratherthanfactory
assembled),increasinglikelihoodofdiscoveringa
poorfitinthefield

AngularSteel

Advantages:
Mosteconomicaltomanufacture
Mosteconomicaltoshiptotowersite

Disadvantages:
Towersareessentiallymanufacturedinthefield,so
thequalityofthetowerisinthehandsofthefield
installationcrew
Difficulttopaintduetoangulardesign
Requiresadditionalmaintenance,suchas
retighteningofthemechanicalfastenerswhichhold
thetowertogethertotorquespecifications
Mostdifficultandcostlyerection
Aerodynamicallyinferiortohollowtubeandsolid
steelrodonacomponentbycomponentbasis

(top)

EnvironmentalFactors
Perhapsthemostchallengingaspectoftowerspecificationisunderstandingtheimpactofvariablesintheenvironment
whichaffecttowerlifeandperformance.Thekeyfactorsarethewindandiceloadingconditionswhichthetowermust
endureandthestructureofthesoilonwhichthetowerstands.
A.WindLoadingandTowerCodes
Itisextremelyimportantthatthetowerspecifierunderstandandclearlystatehisrequirements(tothetowervendor)
relativetowindloadandiceload.Ideally,fromtheuser'sandthetowermanufacturer'sstandpoint,thereferenced
specificationwouldbethelatestrevisionoftheElectronicsIndustryAssociationStructuralStandardsforSteelAntenna
TowerandAntennaSupportingStructuresEIA/TIA222E.
TheEIA/TIAcodeisuniformlyacceptedbythetowerindustry.OthercodesmaybereferencedincludingtheUniform
BuildingCode,theStandardBuildingCode,theSouthernBuildingCodeandtheNationalBuildingCode,orthewindload
requirementsasdefinedbyANSI(AmericanNationalStandardsInstitute).
Eachoftheabovecodesapproachestheeffectofwindandiceloadonthestructuresandtheguysystemsomewhat
differently.Windloadmaybestatedinwindpressure(psf)orvelocity(mph).Safetyfactorsoftowermembersandguys
areexpresseddifferently,allofwhichresultinconfusiontotheuser.ThecurrentEIA/TA222Eattemptstoconsolidatethe
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codesanddefinetheappropriatecoderequirementsspecificallyfortowerstructures.
Aformerversionofthetowercode(EIARS222"C"),whichwasineffectforover10years,expressedwindloadinpounds
persquarefootofpressureasappliedagainstthefullheightofthetowerstructureandguys.AU.S.mapwassupplied
dividingthecountryusingthreewindzonecategories(A,BandC).Upto300feet,aZoneAtowerwastoberatedwith
specifiedsafetyfactorsgivenat30psf,ZoneBat40psf,andZoneCat50psf.Above300feet,thepressurewas
increasedandabove650feet,thepressurewasincreasedagain.(top)
Mostpeoplethinkintermsofmilesperhour(notpsf)andanewcode,EIARS222D,wasdevelopedwhichhadU.S.
mapsdividedintowindzoneareasdefinedinbasicwindspeed(mph)atareferenceheightof33feetaboveground.The
towercalculationsforthiscodedifferedconsiderablyfromVersion"C"andtookintoaccountthegradualincreaseinbasic
windspeedasafunctionofheightaboveground,closelyapproximatingtheactualconditionsofthetower.Thus,direct
correlationsbetweenconvertedwindspeedinVersion"C"andVersion"D"cannotbemade.TheEIA/TIA222Ecode
furtherdefinestowerdesigncriteriaandhasbeenacceptedbytheAmericanNationalStandardsInstitute(ANSI)andis
nowjointlycontrolledbytheElectronicsIndustryAssociation(EIA)undertheauspicesoftheTelecommunicationsIndustry
Association(TIA).
UsingtheEIA/TIA222Emaporthecountywindspeedprovidedinthecodewilldeterminetheminimumwindspeed
requirementforthetowersite.Iflocalconditionsareknowntoexceedthespecifiedwindspeed,anappropriateincrease
shouldbediscussedwiththetowermanufactureratthetimeofquotation.
B.IceLoading
Alltowerscanwithstandsomeiceaccumulation.Foryears,themajorityoftowershavebeenspecifiedanddesigned
withoutformalconsiderationforiceloading.Icecanendangertowersurvivalifitissimultaneouswithextremelyhighwind
loadsand/oriftheiceaccumulationontowermembranesandguywiresisexcessive.Unusual,isolatedicestormshave
increasedthediameterofaoneinchguywiretofivetosixinches.
Tofactorinthepropericeloadingconsideration,thetowerspecifiershouldrefertotheEIA/TIA222FCodeappendix.The
coderequiresiceloadconsiderationbutdoesnotstipulateiceloadamountsorwindvelocity.
Ifthetowerlocationisknowntohaveahistoryforhighwindandiceconditions,orisinanareawhereicestormsarelikely,
thetowerspecifiermaywishtoaddanicecriteriatothedesigncondition.Eveniftheareaisnotathighicerisk,thetower
specifiermayelecttoincludeaniceconsideration,therebyresultinginamoreconservativedesign.
TheEIA/TIA222Fcodeprovidesfortwooptionswheniceisincludedinthedesignloading.Oneoptiontakesintoaccount
thaticenormallydoesnotoccuratfullwindspeedsandpermitsanalyzingthetowerwithradialiceloadingat75percentof
therequiredwindload(translatingto87percentofthewindvelocity).Theotheroptionistoanalyzethetowerwithradial
icesimultaneouslywiththefullwindvelocity.
Dependingonthetowerheight,antennaandlineloadingandwindspeedspecified,theadditionoficeinthetoweranalysis
cansubstantiallychangethetowerdesignandmaygreatlyincreasethecostoftheoverallstructure.Theneedtoinclude
iceinthetoweranalysisshouldbediscussedwithyourtowervendoratthetimeofquotingtogetabetterdefinitionofthe
effectsonyourparticulartowerrequirements.
C.SoilTypeandStructure
Soiltypeandstructureofthesubsoilcanbeabigfactoraffectingerectioncostsandpossiblylongtermsuitabilityofa
location.Fortallertowers(200300feetandup)itisessentialtoprovideageologicalanalysis(soilreport)foryourtower
manufacturerpriortotowerdesignandquotation.
Sometypicalfoundationtypesareillustratedonthefollowingpagewiththetowertypegenerallyassociatedwiththem.

Soilreportstypicallyincludethefollowingdata:
Allowablebearingcapacityofthesoilatthetowerbase
Theallowablepassivepressureatallboringlocations
Thedepththatwaterwasencountered
Theblows/feetifapenetrometerisused
Thevisualclassificationofthesoilandtheassociateddepths
Thedryunitweightandthebuoyantunitweight
Thefoundationsystemwhichisbestsuitedtothesoilconditionsencountered
Anyconstructionproblemsanticipated
Anyothervariableswhichwillaffecttheinstallationanddesignofthefoundationsystem
Ifthesoilisexpectedtobesaturatedatanytime,itshouldbenotedandtheexpected
depthofsaturationgiven
Toensureanadequatesoilreport,becertainthenumberofboringsandthedepthofboringsaresufficientforthetype
towerbeingconsidered.

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TowerSpecifications

Typical"Deadman"GuyAnchorandBaseFoundationforGuyedTowers
GuyedTowers:Ideallyaboringshouldbetakenateachguylocationaswellasatthebaseofthetower.Ataminimum
oneboringshouldbeplacedatthebaselocationandattheouterguyanchorpositions.Ifalargedisparityinthesoil
conditionsisencounteredfromoneboringtoanotherorifthereisalargeelevationdifferencefromonepositiontothenext,
additionalboringsshouldbetakenatallanchorlocations.
Attheguyanchorpoints,aboringdepthof10to20feetistypicallyrecommended.Ifthereactionsarerelativelysmall(20
kipsorless),10feetisacceptable.But15feetboringsarerequiredatthebaseofthetower,unlessunusualconditions
exist.Forexample,ahighwatertable,highorganicsoilcontentandrecentdisturbanceofthetoplayersofsoildueto
excavationandfillmaycausesoilstrengthtodiminishandmandatedeeperborings.

TypicalSelfSupportingTowerFoundations
SelfSupportingTowers:Forselfsupportingtowers,thenumberofboringsdependsonthewidthofthetowerfaceand
thetypefoundationused.Thechartbelowsummarizesthegeneralrecommendations.
Foundation

FaceWidth

Borings

Depth(seenote)

Drilledpier
Drilledpier

*6'25'

25'+

*25+

1ateachleg

25'+

Pier&pad

*6'25'

25'+

Pier&pad

*25'+

1ateachleg

25'+

Mat

All

1ateachleg

25'+

*Notrecommendedforawidthlessthan6'0"

Note:Thetypeoffoundationthegeotechnicalengineerrecommendswillinfluencethedepthoftheborings.Aminimum
boringdepthof25isrequired.Thedepthshouldbevariediftherecommendeddepthof25feetwillnotprovidethe
requiredresistance.Itiscommontohaveaboringextendtoadepthof30to50feetsothatthedrilledpiercanbefounded
onasolidsoilorrocklayer.
Adrilledpierfoundationisusuallybestfortowerswithfacesof6feetwideorlargerprovidingthesitemaybeeconomically
reachedbydrillingequipment.(top)

TwistandSway
Whentowersaredesignedinfullorinpartformicrowaveloading,aseconddesigncriteriamustbeconsidered.Inaddition
totheconsiderationoftowerstructuralintegrity,thetwistandswayofthestructuremayaffecttheperformanceofthe
microwavetransmission.
Amicrowaveantennatransmitsitssignalwithinalimitedbeamwidth.Thiswidthisacharacteristicoftheantennasizeand
thesignalfrequency.Especiallyinthecaseofhigherfrequencies,excessivemovementinthetowermayresultinsignal
loss.TheEIA/TIAdesigncodeincludesgraphswhichpermitthedeterminationofallowabletowertwistandsway(in
degrees)whentheantennasizeandfrequencyareknown.Thetowerspecfiermaystipulatetherequiredtwistandsway
eitherbystatingthemaximumallowablemovementindegrees,orbystatingtheantennasizeandfrequency.
Thewindloadcriteriaforallowabletwistandswaymustalsobestated.Thisperformancewindloadingisusuallylessthan
thewindandiceloadingstipulatedforthestructuraldesign.The"C"versionoftheEIAcoderecommendedaminimum20
psfwindloadfortwistandsway.The"F"versionrecommendsaminimum50mphbasicwindspeed.Asinthecaseof
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designloading,thetowerspecifiermaywishtostipulateahighercriteriathantheserecommended.(top)

Loading
TransmissionLinesThetransmissionlinewhichrunsupthetowertotheantennaoftenrepresentsagreaterwindloading
tothetowerdesignthantheantennaitself.Whentherearenumeroustransmissionlines,theiraggregateloadingmaybe
themostseriousdesignconsideration.
Theloadingoftransmissionlinesmaybetheoreticallyreducedbyassumed"bundling"ofthelines.Whentransmission
linesareclusteredintolargerbundles,theiraccumulatedwindloadissignificantlyreduced.Ifthispracticeisacceptable,
thespecificationsshouldspecifythat"bundling"ispermitted.However,bundlingmakesitmoredifficulttoservicelinesor
toreplaceindividuallinesatafuturedatetherefore,acablesupportsystemsisoftendesiredsothateachindividuallineis
installedseparatelyonthetower.Ifthismethodisdesired,thespecificationshouldstatethatbundlingisnotpermitted,
ensuringthattheloadsarenotrationalizedandthetowerstrengthnotcompromised.
Ifthelatteralternativeischosen,thespecifiermaywishtorequestacablesupportsystem(cableladder)sothatthe
transmissionlinehardware(eitherbolton,snapinorboth)maybeinstalledconvenientlytothetower.
FutureLoading
Effortshouldbemadetodefinefutureloadingatthetimethetowerisinitiallyspecified.Whilesomepostconstruction
modificationispossible,theultimatetowercapacityislimitedbyconsiderationintheinitialdesign.Itisalsomorecostlyto
modifyatoweratafuturedatethantobuildthecapacityintothetoweratthetimeoforiginalconstruction.
Thetowerspecifiershouldconsiderallpossiblefutureownerusesofthetower.Futureapplications,microwaveadditions,
auxiliaryantennaeandpossibleheightextensionsshouldbeevaluated.Inaddition,considerationshouldbemadeto
possibleleaseoftowerspacetootherusers.
Itissometimesassumedthatspecifyingaheavierthannecessarywindand/oricedesignloadingwillprovidesufficient
towerstrengthtoallowforfutureunknownantennaadditions.Whilethisissomewhattrue,itispreferabletospecifyfuture
antennaloadingbynumber,heightandtypeoftheantennas.Ifanincreaseintowerheightmaybenecessary,theultimate
towerheightandultimateantennaloadingshouldbeincorporatedintheinitialdesign.(top)

Accessories
A.LightingandPainting
TheFAAdeterminestherequiredaviationwarningmarkingforeachtoweronasitebysitebasis.Generalguidelinesexist
astowhenatowerwillrequiremarking(usuallyheight200feetandover)andastowhattypeofmarkingwillberequired.
FAAcircularsareavailabledescribingtheguidelinemarkingrequirementsforeachtowerheight.However,aspecificFAA
permitisrequiredforeachsiteandwillstipulatethemarkingrequired.
Towersunder500feetinheightaremostcommonlymarkedwithorangeandwhitepaintbandsfordaymarkingandred
flashingbeaconsfornight.Alternatively,towersintheseheightsaremarkedwithmediumintensitystrobelighting,which
utilizesflashing,omnidirectionalbeaconsthatvaryintheirintensityduringdayandnightconditions.TheFAAmay
stipulatewhichtypeoflightingisrequiredormayallowtheownerhischoice.
Tallertowersmayrequireeitheroftheabovelightingsystems,ormayrequiredirectional,highintensitystrobelighting.
Whenthislightingisspecified,paintingisusuallynotrequired.
Inextremecases,aduallightingsystemmayberequired,incorporatingstrobelightingfordaymarkingandredlightingfor
nightmarking.
Thetowerspecifiershouldnotrelyonthemanufacturerforlightingrecommendationsrather,lightingrequirementsshould
bedefinedthroughapplicationtotheFAAandshouldthenbemadepartofthetowerspecification.
B.LightingAlarms
Whentowerlightingispartofthespecification,alightingcontrollerwithremotesensingalarmsmayberequested.Sucha
controlleroffersdrycontactswhichcanbeincorporatedwiththesitealarmsystemtoindicatevariousmodesoflighting
failure.
C.Climbing
Thetowerneedstobeeasilyclimbedsothataccesstoallantennas,lightingcomponents,andstructuralmembersis
practicalformaintenanceandinspection.Climbingmayinvolveuseofhorizontaltowermembers,stepboltsorclimbing
ladders.Aseparateladderaddstothedesignloadingonthetowerandtheinitialcostandfuturemaintenance.However,a
separateladdermaybenecessaryifitisnotpracticaltoclimbthestructureusingthehorizontalmembers.
Inthecaseoflargerselfsupportingtowers,itisadvisabletoallowforaclimbingprovisiononeachofthetowerlegs.Since
lightingfixturesandantennasmaybedistributedonanyofthethreetowerlegs,itmustbepracticaltoaccesseachleg
individually.
D.SafetyClimbDevices
Whenpossible,maintenanceofthetowerandantennasshouldbeperformedbyprofessionaltowerpersonnel.
Professionaltowerclimbersrarelyusesafetyclimbdevices.However,ifitisnecessaryforotherstoclimbthetower,a
safetyclimbdevicemaybedesired.Thesafetyclimbdeviceincorporatesasteelcableorrigidrailwhichisinstalledonthe
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climbingladderorontheclimbingfaceofthetower.Aspecialclimbingbeltwithslidingsleeveallowstheclimbertoascend
thetowerwhileconstantlyattachedtothecableorrail.
E.AntennaMountingBrackets
Thetowerspecifiershoulddetailanyspecialrequirementsinvolvedwithantennamounting.Ifmultipleantennaearetobe
mountedatthesamelevel,horizontalseparationrequirementsshouldbeincluded.Thetowermanufacturermaythen
choosefromexistingbracketsand/orplatformarrangementsavailable,ormaycustomdesignanappropriatemounting
system.Inthecaseofcellularinstallations,variousantennamountingsystemswillinvolvewidedifferencesincost,wind
loadingonthetowerandmaintenanceconvenience.Oncethenumberofantennaeandspacingrequirementshavebeen
identified,dialoguewiththetowermanufacturercanensurethatanappropriatesystemisselected.
F.TransmissionLineSupport
Transmissionlinesmaybeinstalledonanytowerusingavailableadaptinghardwaresuppliedbythetransmissionline
manufacturer.Thishardwareallowsthelinehangerstobeadaptedtoroundmembers,anglemembers,etc.More
systematicinstallationofthetransmissionlinecanbeaccomplishedwithasupportsystem.
Suchasystemeliminatestheneedforadaptinghardware,allowingthewaveguidehangers(whetherboltonorsnapin)to
beinstalleddirectlyonthetower.Thenumberoftransmissionlinestobeaccommodatedandthetypeoflinehanging
hardwaretobeusedshouldbespecified.
G.TransmissionLineBridge
Thetransmissionlinebridgesupportsandprotectsthelinesforthehorizontalrunfromthetowertothebuildingentryports.
Thelengthofthebridge,heightaboveground,numberoftransmissionlines,widthofbuildingportandfeasibilityof
intermediatesupportsshouldallbespecified.(top)

Erection
Typically,youwillhavetheoptionofpurchasingaturnkeyinstallationwherethemanufacturerprovidestheerectioncrew
orsupervisestheerectionusingaprivateerectioncompany.Thelowestcostmethodisusuallyforyoutosubcontractthe
erectionontheproject.Ifyouhaveselectedatowerfromareputablemanufacturer,theywillhavethecapabilitytorespond
quicklytoyourinstallationquestions,andtheneedforturnkeyinstallationserviceisgreatlydiminished.Typically,
installationis40to100percentoftowercost.Thetallerthetower,thelowertheerectioncostasapercentageoftower
cost.
Note:Chooseareputableerectioncompany.Yourselectedtowervendorcansupplyalistoferectors.Askfortheir
referencesandcallthemtoassurethatthecompanyhasexperiencewiththetypeoftoweryouhaveselected.Itisagood
ideatomakethisselectionearly,andletthetowererectorassistyouwithyourtowerdecision.Oftentheyhaveerected
towersfromseveralmanufacturersandcanoffersuggestionswhichmayproveinvaluabletoyourfinalinstallation.(top)

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TowerSpecifications

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