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You can
write your own review of the Glenn Martin Hazer tower accessories.
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N4ZAW
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Rating: 3/5
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Mar 15, 2009 06:19
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Ehh...I'm old. I need one.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Well, the HAZER-3 that I ordered (that's the mid-strength HAZER) was on my doorstep when I got home Wednesday. This aluminum model is lighter than the heavy duty Hazer by far. I'm posting this review on all my favorite internet "watrering holes". The kits come with everything you need for basic assembly, including a cheap hand winch, 1/8" wire rope, and top pulley with mounting bracket.The different models are rated by their winload handling capacity.
The thing comes in a 6"x6"x3foot box weighing 30lbs. Cost for the Hazer II: $327.05 not including shipping.
Assembly instructions are vague, but written in genuine "Americanese english", because it is made by GlenMartin, inc, Boonville, MO. Most of the assembly process is done sitting in a chair, fondling the various parts and two 7/16" wrenches -- periodically scratchin one's head in bewilderment. But after three hours, I had the three sides individually assembled. Another hour was spent attatching it to the tower, and 4 hours of fitting/adjusting!! They state in the instructions, "Do not tighten any of the bolts yet, until final assembly on the tower". Yeah buddy! Do not overlook that. .. Not that it made any difference in my case, as the thing didn't fit, plain and simple. I even purchased the optional "Roller Bearing Set" for 77buks, which is a set of wheels that allow the Hazer to move more smoothly. One problem......
The assembly was very snug on the tower ,actually hanging-up completely on miiddle the tower, which was laying horizontally. There was some sag at that point of hang-up. also I had to use the six "Lugs" (part#2) as shims,along with an additional shim in each corner that I had to fabricate from aluminum bar stock. Add to this, the roller bearing cariages wouldn't even clear the tower bolts, so I also had to "machine" spacers for the spacers from what I had on-hand, which was 1/2"CPVC and 1/8" SS tubing! N/S!
Once I had the shims in, the six "Corner braces" no longer fit, so (you guessed it) I had to fabricate new ones that did! OK... So it's on the tower and now travels freely the full length. No more climbing for this 56year-old chunky monkey! It was worth the extra effort I guess. But given the initial cost of the thing, everything should fit out-of-the-box (IMHO). There should also be some adjustment built-in to the inter-part fits, so "re-designing" it in the back yard wasn't needed!!!
Botton line: If you're thinking about getting one of these things, you best have brand new, well-shipped & assembled tower, or a well-stocked macine shop. And if you have a machine shop, why bother??? Build your own for 1/5 the cost! Then be prepaired for some swearing and gnashing of teeth!
The best thing I bought in this shipment was the Yaesu thrust bearing, also available from Glenmartin. What a nice piece of work it is! Sealed form the elements, smooth as silk -- sturdy.... A tad pricey at $64.95 but well worth every penney!
The end price tag with roller bearing, thrust bearing and shipping came to $493.15 -- the price of a nice radio! But then, RF 101, rule#12 states; "any radio is only as good as the antenna system it feeds!
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WM1G
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Rating: 3/5
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Sep 8, 2006 18:41
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poor customer service
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had a Hazer 4 for about 10 years now. When I bought it there were so many missing and incorrect parts that it took a month to get the kit ready to assemble. Technically it works as advertised. I have it up 42 feet. The messenger line kit is flimsy, especially the spring that brings the lock to the hoziontal position to rest on the tower. I'm always worried that when I need to use it, the spring will break and I'll have to lower the antenna (TH7DX) all the way without having a place to rest it on the way down for safety purposes. The other flimsy part is the pulley on the top. It is bolted to the tower in two places but the pulley wheel is aluminum and looks as if it could fall apart.
IMPORTANT!!!!!-----> when you are done operating you should always bring the antenna to a "SAFE" azimuth position on the rotor. The elements on the beam have to fit over the tower on the way down. If the rotor breaks (mine did) you will NOT repeat NOT be able to bring down the assembly. So every time you QRT remember to bring the beam to a pre-determined position so it can fit down over the tower. I had to put the guy system above the HAZER and as a result, 2 of the 3 guys must be disassembled for the same reason of the elements being in the way of the guy system.
Customer service is nasty! They did not care about their errors. It's hard to do business with people that treat you like that.
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N4AQG
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Rating: 2/5
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May 20, 2006 23:28
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Disappointing
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I bought the Hazer 4. The instructions fell way short of complete. I had to call support 3 or 4 times to clear up confusion or just plain fill in huge gaps. The latch was drilled wrong and would not work. The kit was short several peices. A couple of calls produced nothing. I was removing one of the lock nuts and the bolt sheared off. I was using a 4 inch box end wrench at the time. There were several poorly designed places or parts in the kit. I finally got it together and it works quite well BUT I would NOT do it over again. It is over priced and the flaws, both material and design were NOT a recommendation for "Made in America".
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KD7NMZ
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Rating: 3/5
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Jul 11, 2002 20:44
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Great, but cost to much
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought the H3 with the roller kit, had to drill out most the bushing in the roller kit, was not done at the factory. This is a great unit but way over priced. For what it cost I would not buy one again,I would make my own, or copy a friends.
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WB4HUC
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 27, 2000 11:38
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Glen Martin Hazer H-4
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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My H4 is installed on 40' of Rohn 25 and has
worked perfectly since the day it was installed.
It's like a big erector set, though, and it
would have been handy to have two more hands
when I was assembling it.
But all the parts fit together as they should
and it went together in fairly short order.
A friend climbed the tower three times: once to
stack the sections, once to install the pulley
and cable, and a third time because I somehow got
confused and asked him to install the pulley
assembly on the wrong tower face. He graciously
came back out and moved the pulley to the proper
place.
I had to have it moved in order to orient the
antenna the proper way when I lower the Hazer.
I also ordered the messenger line kit for
supporting the weight of the coax and rotator
cable, and I ordered a 3-foot arm to bolt to the
Hazer for supporting a wire antenna.
The whole system works flawlessly and I expect
not to have anyone climb the tower anymore except
for periodic inspections.
Visit http://www.glenmartin.com for the
manufacturer's web site.
To see my Hazer and antenna, visit
http://wb4huc.home.texas.net
73,
Mike - WB4HUC
Austin, TX
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WL7M
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 12, 2000 13:57
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Glen Martin Hazer - Wow!
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Time owned: unknown months
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A great product! Having climbed many towers over the years, I've decided that the easier way is to use a tram system to bring the antenna and rotator to ME! The Hazer tram is a great product! LOTS of nuts and bolts, but the instructions are great. Goes together easily, and works great! During the Alaskan winter, I had to do some work on the antenna, and the Hazer functioned perfectly....even at -35 degrees with a wind chill off the charts! You have to be tough to live in Alaska, and the hazer fits in nicely.
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