05-04-2019, 10:53 AM
(05-04-2019, 07:37 AM)VK4ADC Wrote: I normally wouldn't touch this with a "ten foot pole", either round or square section, but since you haven't had a lot of responses, I will contribute a few thoughts.I am not qualified to comment on the engineering aspects but there are some other things that need to be considered before building.
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What about council regulations? In my local area building permits are not required for a mast less than 10m high but conditions vary from area to area. The council may require engineering drawings and assessment before giving permission. In that case the simplest solution would be to buy a commercial product which already has the engineering data. In some cases the council will also require consent from neighbors.
What about insurance? Before erecting the antennas at my current location I sought advice from a friend who is a retired insurance assessor. He said that it was unlikely the an insurance company would insure a home-built mast, but the most important thing to consider is what happens if the mast or antenna falls and hits a neighbor's house, or more seriously the neighbor? It is very unlikely that the neighbor's insurance would cover that event and it could end up in a court. His advice was: " make sure that it will land on your own property if it does fall over." So I have limited the height of my mast to 8m to comply with that suggestion.
Another local ham who is a workplace and safety officer also told me that any winch used to raise a lower a mast must be by law, "self braking. Using a simple boat winch will negate any insurance claim for personal injury. Self-braking winches are really not that expensive anyway.
73
Wayne VK4WDM