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Man Builds 60-foot Tower to Get Highspeed Access
Matt Russell writes "A church was blocking the only high speed signal in town, so he decided he needed to go higher. This is the story of one man's quest to build a 60-foot reception tower in his yard and retire his modem once and for all." From the article: "Well, if you want to have a tower, you need to find one. Buying a new tower is not a good idea, since there are plenty of used ones. In my case, I was in need of a tower that was at least 50', which would cost around $1,000 USD for a new one. The way I searched was pretty simple. I spread the word around town that I was looking for one, and I drove around to see if there was a house with an old TV tower or something like that. If a 30' tower would be enough for you, go to a small town and look for TV tower. If you find one that looks to be in good shape, just go knock on the door and ask if you can buy it. At least 90% of people don't use them anymore, so it's a good place to start! "
okay read it a bit.. "and not when everyone around me, just far enough away from the church, would have it." ..
"I would build a sixty-plus foot tower so I could intercept the signal! "
Why not buy one or two $30 wireless routers and a directional antenna and share with a neighbor that isn't behind a church then. Honestly.
My name is coaxeus, and I approve this message. In fact, I think it is awesome.
Also, since he mentioned paying Canadian dollars for it, ice loading will limit the self-supporting height. With 1/2" ice load the best you can do is 20 feet, in a low wind area and a small antenna. Even in a mild climate, the safe limit for self-supported 25G is 40 feet.
Do what the manufacturer says. They know where the failure point is. Overloaded towers will fail, it's a matter of when--not if.