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| Reviews Summary for Heights |
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write your own review of the Heights.
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NA5Q
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 2, 2008 07:13
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GREAT TOWER - NIL CLIMBING
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned a Heights Tower - 72 ft. with fold-over kit for a total height of 77 ft. 32 sq ft. windload for almost 4 years now. It has withstood 60-70 mph winds with a 22 ft. mast (110 lbs.), Yaesu 2800 rotator, Optibeam 12-4, M2 5el 6m and Cushcraft WARC antenna on it for a total weight of approx. 260 lbs. Tower handles all this with no difficulty.
After 8 ft. deep by 4 ft. wide hole was drilled and concrete poured and allowed to dry for 3 weeks, the tower put together in 2 1/2 hours. Sections were easy for one to two person to handle. I had a tower party of 4 person, but really would have needed less. See construction details at: http://www.na5q.us/antennas.htm and http://www.na5q.us/tower.htm
During Hurricane Rita, I tilted the tower down so the boom of the Optibeam antenna was on the ground, then strapped to ties to small ground anchors. This kept the tower from swaying side to side. This worked FB with winds that were recorded up 110 mph. Raising and lowering the tower takes approximately 14 minutes.
I am very pleased with this tower, it works for me and keeps my feet on the ground. At the most a small step ladder is used for antenna adjustments. I am thinking of upgrading my antenna to a Steppir in the future with a tilt plate to make the small step ladder obsolete.
I have recommended the tower to friends and would buy another if need be.
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W6CJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 6, 2008 20:13
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Used in Public Safety Communications
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've ordered a Heights 80-foot ground mounted aluminum tower back in 2003, and one of their 48-foot aluminum towers in 2006. These installations were for Amateur repeater (and Public Safety) antennas, to be co-located on the same towers, so no lightweight or hobby towers needed apply. The weight, moment, and other issues were calculated by engineers on my side and Heights Towers supplied drawings and their engineering input. Our 80-footer holds five Stationmaster antennas and two 800-MHz panels. Our 48-footer holds two five-element fixed mount yagis.
In 2003, I had one small issue with Heights (then) subcontractor installer, for which Heights apologized and remedied the problem. For the 2007 installation, the owner himself travelled out to our site and supervised.
It paid to obtain all the drawings and do the foundation and tower engineering in advance and Heights patiently explained our weight and wind loading options so I could make the best and safest choice. The cost was better than steel and I could not find other "one-stop-shopping" tower vendors who seemed to have the time for me.
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KC5R
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Rating: 2/5
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Oct 15, 2007 19:04
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Takes the fun out of a Tower
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Let's just say this. I have a 68' Tower on a 5' FOK rated at 19 sq ft at 70 Mph, with a motorized winch and tilt-over. Purchased new and delivered in Feb 2006. Consider this:
1) Production took nearly 24 weeks, not the 8-10 weeks as planned.
2) The winch supplied used a 1" diameter drum, that stressed and snapped the 1/4" cable on the tower within a year. This caused damage to the tower and antennas.
3) It took over 2 months to get it repaired and re-fitted with a rated winch and cable by Heights, and it cost me money to replace.
4) The new winch was not rated for outdoor exposure and was wired incorrectly by Heights. This combination caused the winch motor to remain "hot" and burn itself up in 3 months. Rather than argue with Heights in the middle of hurricane season, again I paid to fix.
5) Dealing with Heights is not a pleasurable experience. Their attitude is best described as "take it or leave it" - and that is being nice.
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N3JPU
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 9, 2007 14:08
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Easy way to work on antennas
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I bought the 56' 23 sq ft @ 80MPH model (26-225 tapering to 18-131 sections) along with the Fold-over kit (5' base for a total height of 61').
It only took me and my wife to put it up. Hand carried all the sections.
Takes about 10 minutes and the whole tower folds over in one piece so all work can be done standing on the ground or with no more than a small step ladder. The nice part about this is I can run heavier heliax than what I could do with the crank-down fold-over I had before.
Pictures on my website http://www.mitchelson.org
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K3CB
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Rating: 1/5
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Dec 23, 2006 05:32
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Serious Situation
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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You can see the end result of what happened to one of my 2 Heights towers at http://www.qrz.com/k3cb. My towers were only 3 months old, the is no definitive explanation for the situation I experienced other than a "microburst". However, NOAA weather reporting for 2 June 2006 when the tower folded over revealed no storms or other weather of any sigificance in my area. I have had 2 commercial engineering companies assess the probable cause. Owen, K3CB
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W9SN
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 24, 2005 08:00
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Impressive Tower!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I ordered my new 78 ft. Heights tower in May 05’. I got everything for it including, rotor plate, 2 inch mast, fold-over kit, leg kit, grounding kit, rebar cage, and motor drive. I wanted a complete tower that I did not have to piece together later.
This is exactly what I got. I simply called the factory and talked to Drake himself and had many questions. He was patient with me and helped.
I got the rebar cage and tower legs within 2 weeks and cemented them into the ground right away so cement could cure before it all arrived.
It was a long wait to get it. It did not arrive till August. IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT! I was blown away how large of a tower this was. The diameter and thickness of the legs are outstanding and impressive! The pictures on Heights website don't do this tower justice. It is more impressive in person.
The 8 ft sections are heavier than a steel tower by far. It takes 2 men to assemble it and eat your wheaties first. The motor drive is so slick! I simply pull a locking bolt and flip a switch. 10 minutes later, it is laid over on the ground and will stay there forever if I wish. When I am finished, I flip the switch and back up she goes.
It has been up about a month and I have lowered it 10 times or so installing antennas, feeds, and ect. Not a moments troubles with it. I have never heard any “clanging” like in a previous post. It is quiet as a mouse and even when it is going over, you would never know it unless you are looking at it. The local hams are still in disbelief how impressive this system it.
We have only had 35 mph winds since installation and the tower hardly moved at all! I was expecting more movement with an aluminum tower. But this is so massive, that it stood completely still. I would not be afraid of maxing this tower out.
This tower is 77’ tall (including the fold over base) and rated at 35 sq. ft. windloading in 80 MPH winds. I have approximately 15 sq ft up there now and more to go up yet.
I had debated strongly between this and US Tower’s steel crank up. Both were close in price, but I liked because of less maintenance and never any rust to worry about. On crank-ups, there are cables and pulleys to contend with over time. This tower only has 2 moving parts. The screw (which is 1.25 inch in diameter, almost 6 ft long, and weighs nearly 50 pounds) should outlive me, and the motor drive. The motor drive is held by 4 bolts and is only 4 ft off the ground. If it should ever quit, it would be a 5 minute job by one man to change and much cheaper than the motor drives for crank-ups.
This was not a cheap tower in price, but it is not a cheap tower in design! I didn’t have to hire a crane to get it out of a truck ( I brought it home from the trucking terminal in my pick-up by myself), or use one to erect it.
No, I cannot lower it out of a storm like a crank-up tower, but I over-engineered it for my personal requirements and should not need worry. In deciding your next, first, or last tower, this should be a major consideration.
Should you like the see my installation and on-going pictures as I continue to grow with this tower, you can check it out here: http://www.w9sn.com/heights.htm
I have had many towers over the years, self supporting, crank-ups, 100 ft guyed towers, and ect. This by far is the easiest to work on, strongest, least maintenance, and will be longest lasting one yet.
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N4IS
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 15, 2005 22:27
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Tower for a life time
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Best system you can buy. I can change my mast preamp or tune my 2m antenna at 100 ft high in less than 1 hour. Living in South Florida the flexibility to fold it over and remove my antennas to face an hurricane is a must. It can be done in one hour. I installed my towers back in 2001, one 40 ft for UHF and the main one for 160m with 116 ft high, working as a full size 1/4 wave shunt feed at 24ft, bellow the F.O.K..
The folder system F.O.K allow me to change the configuration of my antenna system during one weekend as I need it and this is priceless for me.Pic's at my site www.n4is.com
Carlos
N4IS
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N5KF
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Rating: 2/5
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May 4, 2005 14:15
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With all the clanging...will it stay up?
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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In late 2003 I ordered a new Heights tilt over tower. Total height with tilt over option is at 78 ft. The tower seems to be well built with the lower sections and the tilt over sections made of some of the largest/thickest aluminum tubing I have ever seen.
Before the tower was even complete (top section was not on) I had issues with "clanging" with even a mild wind. After some discussions with Drake Dimitry, President, Heights Tower Systems, he felt that I did not have the bottom bolts tight, and once it was completely up, the clanging �should� go away. I finished assembling the tower and added a modest Force 12 C4 beam on top.
After raising it back up the "clanging" was worse than ever. I had to leave the tower horizontal. After a large number of emails and phone calls to Drake during several months time, he finally came out in May, 2004 with 4 new sections to replace the bottom 4 sections. He said that maybe the holes were not drilled right. He added a large amount of grease to each joint. It seemed quieter, with just an occasional "clang" with the wind blowing. During the fall I tilted it over to add a small 2M beam on top. After bringing it back upright, the clanging seemed to have increased. I was disappointed, but dealt with it.
After heavy fall and winter rains and winds, the noise was worse. I noticed some loose bolts at the lower sections. I hoped that this was the problem, but concerned why the bolts became so loose, as I personally checked them before raising the tower previously. After lowering the tower again, and checking the bolts and raising the tower back the "clanging" is still there, although not as severe. I have been told by the manufacturer that it "shouldn't be clanging". I even had a fellow ham tape the sound at first, since Drake said he had never heard of this issue. He was shocked at the noise.
My big concern is if it will stay up. I have only 10 SF of wind load on it, and the rating is for 25 SF. I wouldn't even think of adding anything more to this tower. I am not much of a tower climber, and the idea of a tilt-over tower was interesting, although the more than $7000 price tag was better than triple any other tower price for this configuration.
Unfortunately I will probably end up taking it all down and try to get my money back. I have used aluminum towers in the past, and none have made this noise. I sure didn�t expect it in this one. I seriously feel that somewhere this tower is not engineered correctly. Most others I have contacted that have a similar tower have not had this �clanging� issue. A couple have. Bob Redoutey, N5KF
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KE4D
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 31, 2004 20:30
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Good
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I purchased a used 40 Heights tower in October of 2004. After packing the entire tower on the top of my Chevy Tracker and toting it home to south Florida from north Georgia behind my motorhome, I called Heights to order a hinged base and rebar cage. I was told, no problem, a couple of weeks for delivery. A couple of weeks later, I dug my hole in the back yard and called Heights to inquire as to the exact delivery date. I was informed that it would arrive in "a couple of weeks". Expressing my displeasure, I reminded Drake that I had already dug the hole. He told me that he wished folks wouldn't do that. I told him I would have waited had he not told me a "couple of weeks". My next call was " a couple of weeks" later. Still no hinged base and rebar cage. but soon. Around the first of December, I called again and was told a couple of days. About a week later, I got an email with a shipping notice and a tracking number. The tracking number never worked and the two day delivery time turned in to a week. So my "couple of weeks" turned into almost two months. A "couple of months" told to me up front would have been a better way to handle this in my opinion.
However, this is my sixth tower and it is a very well built product. The rebar cage was awesome and the newer flat bar template a big improvement over other templates I have used. Drake has been very helpful with technical advice and I certainly would consider buying more or even a new tower from Heights. I just won't expect quick delivery times!
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WA9ENA
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 13, 2004 14:45
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Brings the skyhooks to you in grand style
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Heights makes many models of towers. My new one is the FOK-72-31-80, which means it is 72 feet high and is rated to carry 31 sq. ft. of load at 80 mph wind speed. It is FULLY self-supporting, and the "FOK" suffix means that this tower has the Fold Over Kit on it. The FOK, along with the 4 ft. base section, brings total tower height to 77 feet. Due to tower size, the FOK is motor-driven by a 1/2 horse gear motor with 80:1 reduction. The unit is rated to handle the tower while carrying 300 lbs. of load at the top.
First, why this tower? Simple, really: I am a VHF/UHF fan and investigated the GME Hazer system as an alternative at much less cost. (Due to arthritis in my ankles, climbing is out.) The Hazer's spacing with respect to the tower would have caused me to re-design my main 2m beams used for weak signal (horizontal polarity) in order to avoid crashing elements into the tower. Also, the fact that the coax must travel up and down with the Hazer makes it not well suited to use of hard line coax. So, by installing all cables inside the tower and securing them, this tower brings all antennas and related hardware down to me whenever I so want. The average distance above ground when I have the tower laid over is 4 to 5 feet, which is just right for most of my antennas.
The tower itself is a brute - 35 inches across at the base, tapering in steps to 14 inches at the top. I ordered the full FOK, motor system, rebar cage for the concrete base, and grounding kit. Heights provided drawings that enabled me to get quotes from the concrete contractor and provide proper installation of the very large base bolts. Their inclusion of a template set for setting the bolts within the rebar cage speeds the installation and assures proper alingment. The hole for the base was dug to about 8.5 feet, keeping the sides straight, and we used just under 8 yards of 3000 psi concrete to fill the hole. Look at the wind load numbers on the Heights web site and you'll see why you need some real beef in the base.
The info packet from Heights lists tools you will need to assemble the tower. Be SURE you have the drift pin. The holes are drilled with high precision, and you will need that pin to "pull" sections into alignment so you can insert the stainless steel bolts. Be sure to lube the mating surfaces with an anti-sieze compound. Yes, assembly is done with the tower horizontal.
The fit on this thing is amazing. The entire tower pivots over on two 1" dia. Grade 8 steel bolts, with an acme rod being driven by the motor controlling the drop or lift. A third bolt locks the tower when it is fully upright, and everything glides into alignment perfectly each time I have raised it.
My summary thus far: I have a "tree" of VHF/UHF antennas that are mounted to a 20 foot high strength, thick wall alloy mast. Five feet of the mast are inside the tower and attach to the Yaesu G1000-DXA rotator. The other 15 feet protrude above the Rohn TB-3 thrust bearing that is up on the bearing plate. I estimate my present set of antennas at a total of only about 10 sq. ft., so I have a lot of expansion capability. I estimate the weight of the rotor, top coax, mast, and antennas to be around 60 to 80 pounds, so there is room there, as well. I like to experiment, and I also know that I'll be mounting more antennas next Spring on side arms near the top.
This is an aluminum alloy tower. It will swing and sway in the wind. It just got hit with sustained 50 to 60 mph winds yesterday (12-12) at our Iowa QTH. It wiggled a lot, but it's all there! The welded Z-braces make for a very strong structure.
A word about grounding: Heights supplied 3 very hefty 10 foot by 5/8" dia. rods, one per tower leg, plus 3 pre-cut grounding lead jumpers and a set of stainless steel grounding clips on the tower base. This is the correct way to go. Given the all-aluminum tower, the SS clips nicely interface the ground leads to the tower structure. Despite their size, I was able to pound in the large rods manually, using a post pounder tool.
So, what didn't I like. Just two things: if you look at my previous review of Heights, you'll see that delivery for those parts was very slow. Drake Dimitri and his crew got most of this tower ready to ship in about 4 weeks, but then he ran into a materials problem for some of the alloy rod used for the Z-braces. That took awhile. So, delivery was a bit slower than planned, but Drake did keep me informed of the problem. The other issue has to do with lubrication. The info packet was quite clear about lubricating the acme rod that carries all of the stress when lowering or raising, and Heights supplied the recommended lubricant. What they didn't provide was clear details about lubrication of other parts. I exchanged some e-mail with Mr. Dimitri about that and he agreed with my comments.
This tower does all that I expected, and does it well. It is pricey, but you get value for the price and that's what it's all about. This type of tower is not for everyone, but I do highly recommend it for those who can not climb and who work the upper bands, where you will use hardline. You would also save on cost if you do not need the motor drive, but the 72 foot tower requires it. I needed the height so that some nearby hills could be cleared for true "line-of-sight" communications.
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