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Reviews For: W2GD Antenna & Tower Installation, Repair, Painting

Category: Tower and Antenna Installers

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Review Summary For : W2GD Antenna & Tower Installation, Repair, Painting
Reviews: 118MSRP:
Description:
Description: Plans, installs, maintains, and repairs amateur radio antennas, towers, rotators and related cabling. Also paints rusting towers and performs Insurance Estimates. Nearly 50 years of amateur radio experience. Will provide service anywhere worldwide, with clients in the USA, Carribean, and South America. Member of the CQ Contest "Hall of Fame". Supports towers 20' to over 200', for Big Gun DXers, Contesters, and Little Pistols. Supports all types of antennas and towers. No task too small, no project too large. Reasonable rates. Contact John directly for a consultation and estimate. John Crovelli W2GD/P40W w2gd@hotmail.com 908-391-5611 (c)
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001185
NZ3O Rating: 2010-08-23
Professional and Cost Conscious Time Owned: more than 12 months.
John was very effective in restoring 40 meter operation to my M-Squared LP8 "Skip" Log Periodic, all without dropping the entire antenna to the ground. The weather is often unpredictable this time of year (August). I was worried about a "two day" repair possibility, but John was here, things were fixed and he was on his way in four hours. Quite impressive. Great guy to do business with and I still had grocery money when he left.
K3WA Rating: 2010-06-03
The best in the business Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
John, W2GD, is a consummate professional who just completed the installation of an 80 foot AN Wireless freestanding tower, SteppIR DB18E antenna, and all the requisite cables, wires, and associated additional items. I am 100% satisfied with his work and would not hesitate one second in calling John for another tower installation or maintenance task. Why? Because John applies the systems engineering best practices to his work. He spent countless hours on the phone and in emails discussing my requirements, helping to evaluate alternatives, objectively reviewing the cost, relative goodness, and the merits of various antenna, tower, coax, and other equipment options. This help enabled me to come to the decision best for my station and my needs. John is a big believer in thorough preparation, detailed testing at each step in the process, and a disciplined approach to actual installation. When the actual installation day neared, John travelled out to my site, and did a thorough check of the just built tower and antenna on the first day. He found a corrected a number of items, most minor, and had us ready the following morning when the crane showed up for the install. The installation went smoothly – only because of John’s planning and preparation – and was completed on time and on budget. This effort was an affordable and outstanding experience in all respects.
K3VX Rating: 2010-05-24
First Class all the way Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I asked John, W2GD, to paint my four sections of Rohn 25 and to change the guying system from all EHS to Phillystran plus EHS.
The hallmarks of good craftsmanship are doing the job when scheduled; sticking with the estimate; and, most importantly, excellent results.
Because of John's craftsmanship I now have a tower that's plumb, well protected from rust, beautiful and with non-resonant guys.
K3MD Rating: 2010-05-20
Excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Excellent. Prompt service, very reasonable rates. Have used exclusively for 6 years, much cheaper than other antenna/tower companies, more personal service and advice.
K5KC Rating: 2010-05-10
Excellent! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
John Crovelli W2GD/P40W did an excellent and highly successful job at my QTH recently. My 200 pound 80M 2-element yagi at 200+ feet had to come down for repair. I spoke with John in January 2010. He was very responsive, called several times, asked for pictures, and we talked about details of the site, the antenna setup, and what needed to be done. The visit was scheduled for late April in hopes of friendly weather.

The big day arrived as John flew in late one night from a BIG job at another station. He went right to work the next morning. Unfortunately, the weather was cold, windy, and with a few drops of rain. All of the ground work was completed to tram down the antenna. This was very efficiently done. Then, we finally got a bit of a weather break and were able to safely get the beam down, despite some antenna balance problems and uncomfortable winds. Fortunately, John knew exactly what to do to bring the big antenna down safely. It was not easy, but it was highly successful. Once on the ground, John replaced the problem part that was the main reason for bringing down the beam. But, I also wanted some additional work done on the antenna and, as one might guess, it turned out to be difficult to do. John again went to work, doing considerable field re-engineering on the antenna. Being an engineer myself, I was very interested in, and pleased with, the re-design. John put the the modified antenna back up, very smoothly. It is working absolutely fine.

So, what’s the bottom line? I was very pleased with the work of John Crovelli. He communicated well, was very reliable, worked hard and safely, shared his knowledge (despite my many naïve questions), was creative, was clearly competent about towers and antennas, and did not attempt to break the bank. The VERY bottom line is that I would definitely have him back! If you need help, get in line. John is worth it.
N3DG3 Rating: 2010-03-28
Outstanding Professional Proactive Consultant Time Owned: more than 12 months.
John Crovelli W2GD/P40W is an experienced Antenna & Tower Consultant with four decades of experience who I have known over the years. He is a specialist with SteppIR, Force 12 and other yagis as well as wire antennas, climbing trees for maximum height, tower painting, antenna site surveying and consulting, fault diagnosis and repair services. Several years ago, John was needed to diagnose and repair a faulty EHU motor in a new SteppIR 3 element yagi, which he supported expediently and professionally.

Recently, I suddenly experienced an intermittent problem with the SteppIR that somehow spiked the SWR from its usual flat 1:1 status. John consults with his customers on the phone and email and initially determines some possible causes while he prepares himself for onsite fault diagnosis. When he arrived, John was able to determine that indeed there was a loose screw inside the driven element EHU that was just loose enough to cause the intermittent. This was no small feat especially as he performed as a SteppIR EHU surgeon at antenna level while on the tower.

As John is proactive, he also inspects the antenna system to make sure it is in superior and safe condition before he departs and before subsequent problems arise. In my case, John’s eagle-eye caught the dreaded ripped rubber boots on the SteppIR elements and he advised that they be immediately replaced before moisture seeped in or elements fell. SteppIR subsequently has replaced this boot/manufacturer in their new antennas with an excellent rubber boot from Fernco which is UV resistant and claimed to last over 25 years, and SteppIR has been outstanding and most accommodating in replacing the old boots with the new Fernco boots at no charge while expediting delivery, Thank You ! SteppIR is Awesome in Customer and Technical Support.

As my beam had to be lowered anyway to replace the old boots on all three elements, I decided to also upgrade the beam with the 40/30 meter add-on kit which made a simple boot replacement a complicated project especially as I did not want the beam to be lowered down to ground level, and I requested the antenna be lowered to the roof level which is a tricky set of maneuvers moving yourself and a large beam around solely on a roof.

John has experience with the SteppIR and 40/30 meter add-on and planned in advance for what was the safest and most appropriate way to handle this project. I preassembled the 40/30 add-on kit in advance for his final review and approval. Even with short notice, he arrived on time, looked the situation over again and prepared his tools, equipment and strategy while reviewing and discussing it with me. As a result of John’s experience and planning as well as his thorough review of the antenna documentation and materials which I had preassembled prior to his arrival, the project was done successfully in only a few hours and the antenna works flawlessly. As I am rather detailed and fussy myself, I also had a short list of additional tasks for John to support while on the tower which he took care of one by one and while ensuring all antenna, boom-to-mast, thrust bearing, rotor and tower bolts were tight and secure.

I understand that John has also done extensive travel in supporting antenna projects across the US and Caribbean, even large-scale projects over days and weeks, as well as small projects, repairs, upgrades and installations, no project too small.

When you hire John Crovelli W2GD/P40W to support you with your antenna project, you receive the benefit of decades of practical experience working on towers and antennas. He has solved a countless number of problems related to antenna assembly. His experience has taught him what works and what doesn't. As your consultant, you receive his knowledge, expertise, and experience, not just physical labor and risk taking needed to complete a job. John has the knowledge, insight and experience and surely knows what he is doing, and, does quality work. Trust his judgment and you will know he is there to do the best job possible for you.

If you are looking for experienced, proactive, affordable professional to antenna and tower services for your beams, wires, verticals and towers at any height, at any time, I strongly recommend John Crovelli W2GD/P40W.

Dennis John Gazak
N3DG
WR2M Rating: 2009-12-15
Excellent Work, On time, Very fairly Priced! Staight Shooter Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After reading through John's many positive reviews here on eham I decided to give him a phone call. I explained to him that after some 60+mph winds that passed through NW New Jersey in late November my repeater antenna that is mounted on the top of a 205 foot commercial tower leaned over and needed to be straightened. After emailing John some photographs he promptly set a date to come out and do the repair. He called me a week prior to our tentative appointment because he had concerns about more bad weather coming in and he wanted to avoid any additional antenna issues.

John showed up on time, went right to work. While working on my stationmaster at the 203 foot level John added additional stationmaster clamps to ensure this wont happen again. On his way down at the 80 foot level John replaced an old feedline with some new 1/2 heliax on my remote base antenna. It was a very productive day especially for a mid December afternoon in the northeast.

All in all I would recommend John to anyone who needs tower work do. He's detailed oriented, works at a good pace and is fair with his prices.

Thanks John, you saved the day !!
K2MFY Rating: 2009-11-05
Tower/Antenna "Wish List" Completed Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Weeks before John arrived at my QTH I e-mailed him my "wish list" of tower/antenna maintenance tasks & problems. We reviewed the list and he came up with an estimate price and schedule.
One of the major tasks was the replacement of my rusty tower cable. This time I had John purchase and install stainless steel cable. He then found and replaced a bad lead-in cable to my 2m vertical. He also installed a dipole standoff bracket that I had for ten years. Finally, using Rustoleum Cold Galvanizing Compound, John spray painted my 35 foot crank-up tower until he ran out of paint (fortunately completeing the top half!). He also pointed out some slight deterioration along one of the tower struts and suggested recommended maintenance.
John is a great guy to deal with and he completed his tasks in a very professional manner.
AB3ER Rating: 2009-11-04
Strong recommendation for W2GD tower services Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
John helped Skyview Amateur Radio Society www.skyviewradio.com , erect a 120 ft Rohn 45 G tower and remove an old 80 ft homebrew pipe tower. He provided detailed advice site preparation, materials needed and patiently coached us along. We chose to use a crane and John worked with them on preparations Following John's advice, we had teams ready, a crane on site. The job was FLAWLESS. John is great to work with and HIGHLY recommended. He will save you time, dollars and give you a SAFE job. The crane operators gave him high praise as well.
K4FJ Rating: 2009-09-15
Outstanding Time Owned: N.A.
John was responsive to my request for help and worked me into his schedule to my satisfaction.

He arrived ontime and was totally professional to his approach and work effort.

I used to be in this business and I recognize quality work. His surely excells in that area.

His price is reasonable for a professional and you won't be disappointed.

73, Steve, K4FJ