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Instructions
Research and measure appropriate placement of tower and guy lines. A 100-foot tower requires at least three guy lines.
Use backhoe to dig holes for tower and guy anchors. For a 100-foot tower, the tower hole should be 5 1/2 feet deep by 3 feet around, and each guy hole should be 4 feet deep by 4 feet by 3 feet. Angle the guy holes 45 degrees in the opposite direction from the tower.
Insert wooden form into each hole. Place crushed rock in the bottom of the holes for drainage. Use a level to ensure that forms are level.
Place the base of the tower into the tower hole. Pour in about 1 1/2 yards of concrete and let it set.
Bury copper wire in a ring around tower the base 1 foot deep. Space ground rods around the tower base as close as possible to the tower yet at least 6 feet apart, touching the wire. Connect each leg of the tower to the ground rods with bonding conductor. Also, connect the ring ground to the entrance panel with continuous bonding conductor. Use only connection fittings approved for grounding applications---do not use solder, which can be destroyed by the heat from lightning strikes.
If necessary, remove any rust from the guy anchor poles with a grinder and wire brush. Form the brace for each anchor pole with I-beams and channels, each about 3 feet high and 3 feet across at the base. Fabricate attach points for the guy wires. Weld bases and attach points to the anchor poles. Coat pipes, bases and attach points with at least two coats of primer.
Prepare about 2 yards of concrete for each guy hole. Pour in enough concrete to fill each hole about 1 foot. Insert about 1/4 to 1/3 of the pole's length into the cement, tilted either perpendicular to the guy wires' pulling force or in the same direction. Make sure the anchor part above ground totals less than 30 percent of the pole's length. Pour in the rest of the concrete and let it set. The top of the concrete may be a foot or so below ground level; if so, fill the hole with soil to ground level. Mark the location of the anchor as an obstacle to avoid future accidents. Repeat this process for each remaining guy pole.
Ground the guy poles. Use one ground rod for each pole. Bury wire around each pole, connect to the ground rod, and connect the pole to the rod as you did for grounding the tower. Make sure each ground rod is at least 6 feet from all other rods, the electrical service or other utility grounds.
Don safety clothing. Begin connecting antenna sections. Climb the antenna only if permitted by manufacturer's specifications. Have an assistant use a gin pole---a device that allows a person to raise heavy weights vertically---to lift the antenna sections to the correct height; fasten them into place.
When the antenna is about 90 feet high, follow manufacturer's directions to attach the guy collar to the tower. Use 1/8-inch steel wire for temporary guy wires. Hold the guy thimbles---sleeves that prevent wires from breaking at sharp bends---and wire together; thread through the guy collar on the tower and turnbuckles on the anchor, leaving about 12 inches free. Clamp the wire in place with mini-clamps. Twist the turnbuckles to apply enough tension to maintain tower stability while the rest of tower is assembled.
When the antenna reaches full height, install and tension permanent Phillistrand guy wires in place of temporary guy wires.