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| Reviews Summary for Don Daso, K4ZA |
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Reviews: 74
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Average rating: 5.0/5
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MSRP: $Within Reason
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Description: Tower Works: That title says it all—if you need tower work done, from
installation to repair, I can probably help you! With 45 years of ham radio
experience, I’ve worked on most every size & make of tower/beam, &
specialize in Rohn guyed-towers (25, 45, 55G, etc.). Have a solid mechanical
& engineering background (NCJ contributing editor), along with all the
necessary skills & tools to install, take down, or repair your system, whether
it’s 20 or 200-feet high. Reasonable rates, good reviews, & ability to travel.
k4za@juno.com
704 408 7948
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Product is in production.
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More info: http://www.k4za.com
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write your own review of the Don Daso, K4ZA.
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W8AV
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 31, 2011 12:39
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Antenna Service
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have known Don for over 30 years now and recently had a chance to use him to service the antennas and rotator on one of my towers. Having used a local antenna guy in the past that is not familiar with amateur radio antenna installations, it was refreshing to have someone on the tower that is knowledgeable on what needed to be addressed. He took care of my problem quickly and effortlessly and I would recommend him to any ham who needs service on their towers and antennas.
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WA3WFA
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 20, 2011 11:56
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Excellent installation
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Don: professional and excellent installation of my vertical antenna. Willing to do a smaller job compared to his large tower work. Kept his word, always on time. I highly recommend him.
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W4CYS
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 18, 2011 10:49
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Great Advice, Installation & Service
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I phoned Don Daso, K4ZA, last year about installing a tower and antenna systems for me. I have a home on over 60 acres and wanted a nice antenna system to operate from 160M – 2M. So, the process began with me asking Don for advice.
We discussed several options, including using the C31XR I had at my last QTH. We finally decided to install 130 feet of Rohn 55G tower. The C31XR would be at 130 feet, a 6M beam above that, with an XM-240 shorty forty above that, and a 2M beam above that at 145 feet. Don was very instrumental in providing me sources to obtain stamped drawings, from a great Professional Engineer, for my Building Permit application.
Don and his climbing partner, W2GD, did the final installation of the tower and antenna systems. Sometimes you need an extra set of hands, and John also has lots of experience doing this work. Sometimes you just need the Experts/Masters and their professional level experience.
Don has been back to assist whenever I had a special need or to perform maintenance on the tower. Also, Don built a fan dipole for me that covers 160M & 80M that he placed at the 128 foot level on the tower. He also placed a 2M vertical at the 110 foot level, on a bracket he fabricated. He later installed two other antennas on the tower to cover my other responsibilities with Air Force M.A.R.S.
The bottom line is...you can't go wrong with Don’s work. He has over 45 years of experience with tower work, antenna installation, problem-solving, and maintenance duties. You’ll be very pleased when you talk with Don and authorize him to do your work.
Thank you,
Hank, W4CYS
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N4ZC
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 13, 2011 18:41
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If you have an antenna/tower problem, Don is your man
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Don more or less began the "professional" side of his tower work career at my station. We built ourselves a limited multi-op setup, storing Don's towers vertically.
I saw several of the techniques, hardware, and methods described in his book, Antenna Towers for Radio Amateurs, developed and utilized at the N4ZC station.
He was here just the other day and fixed a rotator issue for me. He has all the tools and experience needed to handle probably any ham radio installation or repair
situation. I can easily recommend his work.
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WA2BCK
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 2, 2011 07:47
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Tower/Yagi Installation
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I hired Don to put up a tower in my back yard. Don was very helpful in advising me about possible alternatives. I ended up putting up 100 feet of Rohn 55 in my back yard with very uneven terrain. Don did everything for me except dig the holes for the tower base and guy anchors. He recommended KR7X for the engineering drawings for the permit process. As a result, I was able to get a permit without any problem. On Don's first trip to my QTH, we poured the concrete and set the guy anchor posts. Don had the flanges welded to the posts and brought them with him from Charlotte, NC. We allowed the poured concrete to cure and on tower day Don returned with tower sections and mast in tow. Don was very helpful in answering questions that I had in between concrete pour and tower erection. I had spent a lot of time building grounding boxes and Don guided me thru this with many suggestions. On tower erection day itself, Don had thought thru all the myriad of little items that are needed for a succesful install. I can say without hesitation that Don really knows what he is doing. It's obvious that he has many years of experience with tower installations. Don was easy to work with and I feel that his pricing is very reasonable and fair. I would recommend him without hesitation.
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W4TJE
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 21, 2011 15:38
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Very Professional and Knowledgeable
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have been having trouble getting the phasing correct for my 15m yagis, due to several reasons, among them operator error. I contacted Don and gave him the info he needed. Because my 3 yagis are similar, but not identical, Don was concerned that my phasing efforts might just result in a waste of my money, and he told me this up front. Yesterday, 20 Aug, Don changed out the phasing lines on 3 yagis, all by himself on the tower. He had to take all 3 yagis out of their cradles in the air, but he had the skills and tools to do it all by himself up there. He was a one man wrecking crew. When he arrived, he had already completed the phase lines, so no time was wasted cutting and soldering. His knowledge of antenna theory and installation is impressive, and anyone considering a top notch antenna farm would be wise to put his skills to work. And in my case, I couldn't be happier with the results, as I am already hearing the difference due to the properly configured phase lines he installed.
Finally, I found his charges to be very fair, and will gladly put him to work again for my next project.
73 de Jack W4TJE
Fancy Gap, VA
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WK4P
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 21, 2011 09:01
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Even the XYL is Happy
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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My project for the spring of 2011 was to erect a new tower in my backyard for a Mosely TA34XL and a M2 6M5X. Having never erected a guyed tower before, and living on a half acre sloping lot, I enlisted the assistance of Don Daso of Tower Works to make sure the tower went up properly and would stay up for many years to come.
This project was not the eaiest installation ever done and Don's years of experience were invaluable in making sure it was done correctly. From using raised anchors due to limited property space and sloping ground to raising the rather large Mosley TA34XL with limited space Don was able to arrive at a solution for each problem we encountered. He brought the tools and knowhow to make difficult situations much easier.
Don was also conscious of my budget limitations. He instructed me on how to do the work I could do myself. He used pre-owned parts where practical but always recommended doing things the right way. I found his suggestions made sense, there was no reason to try to save twenty dollars now only to have to spend two hundred dollars in a few years making repairs. As he put it, its not smart to be "penny wise and dollar foolish". His rates were more than reasonable, especially considering the years of knowledge and the hard work he brought to the project.
Having had the tower and antennas up for a month now I am pleased with the final result. Heck, even my wife is happy with the way things turned out, as Don went to the trouble to make sure her concerns were taken into careful consideration. Friends with more tower experience than I have commented at the quality of the accessories that Don provided and the quality of his work.
The only weekness in my experience with Tower Works was in the communication of the schedule. I would get a day's notice to have my helpers rounded up and that made it tough to accomodate their schedules. But I understand that my project was a small one in the grand scheme of things and Don took the time to work me into his very busy schedule. More importantly his experience and hard work have left me confident that my tower and antennas will play well for many years to come.
One final thing I would recommend to anyone working with Don; take his advice. He wil NOT tell you to do things just to charge you more, taking his advice will save you money in the long run. Also I'd recommend simply getting your tower and accessories through him. From my experience you'll rest easier knowing everyting is good and won't have to deal with the inconsistancies of finding junk at hamfests. This is especially true if you're like me and have very limited experience with towers.
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K2QWD
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 17, 2011 10:58
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Installation of 80 meter Yagi.
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Time owned: months
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Don spent 4 days at my QTH in Myrtle Beach, SC and the plan was to build two antennas: An OptiBeam OB2-80+ (high performance 2el 80m monoband Yagi) and a Steppir DB36. As we were building the first antenna, unfortunately the balun was not included in the original packages. Array Solutions, to their credit, overnighted the missing part so we could continue with the build. At that time, Don said since we are now stalled; let us start to build the Steppir. As that point, we discovered in the middle of the build, missing parts. Don immediately took out his cell phone, called SteppIR and gave them the part number with instructions to overnight it to our location. Something went wrong and the wrong part arrived effectively putting the build of the DB36 off for another visit from Don. I spent four days with Don. Not only is he an extremely pleasant individual, but we had a lot of laughs about amateur radio, telling stories of times past and of people we both knew in common. He is extremely knowledgeable and worked long days to try to install 2 antennas at my QTH. The Optibeam is an extremely large and heavy antenna and required the use of a crane to safely install it. With Don, safety is absolutely paramount. Everything he did was meticulous, and we had a funny experience as the rain Gods decided to send us lightning, complete with a flash thunderstorm just as he were getting ready to climb the tower to install the Yagi. At that time, in consultation with the Crane operator, we called it off until the next morning, for the safety of all. Saturday morning we continued and it was a long day with the conclusion that my antenna was mounted on my tower and it was my responsibility to finish the wiring to my shack. It plays absolutely marvelously. I look forward to Don’s return to finish the DB36. If you need someone – not only is his price extremely reasonable, but he is a pleasure to work with! When you hire someone at Don’s caliber, you are hiring a “pro” and you have to listen and take heed to the words of experience. I personally look forward to having many pleasant years on the band due to the fact that the antennas were installed professionally, and with a lot of attention to detail, which are always the little things that one may forget that ends up with big problems later. Gene K2QWD
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K5MR
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 13, 2011 18:27
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quality workmanship
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Don along with assistance from John, W2GD took down 8 towers ranging in height from 200 ft to 45 ft and 14 large HF yagis when my antenna farm was sold. The job was done right and on schedule. Don is very knowledgeable and has the right tower tools to get the job done in an efficient and safe fashion. I highly recommend Don for any tower and antenna work, large or small.
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KF4TP
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 25, 2011 07:59
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Great job taking down Tri-Bander and replacing with 3L SteppIR
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Don,K4ZA ,in my books,the best qualified Tower and Antenna ''guy''I can think of.--
I wanted to replace my TH-3 Tri-Bander with a 3L SteppIR.--The tower,85ft of Rohn#25 had all kinds of''Low Band'' wires hanging from it,making it difficult to ''tram ''the antennas.-
After surveying the situation,Don fabricated a ''PVRC Mount'' overnight,so that the SteppIR could go up Boom and Elements one at a time and be assembled at the top of the tower.
Unexpectidly,,the old mast had to be changed to make it fit.Don had the solutions and the parts to get the job done in a very professional way.
In the end,everything went without a hitch and the job turned out perfect.--Great job---
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