I think these might more appropriately be called utility poles but around here we call them telephone poles, regardless of what they have strung on them.
A couple of years ago, I put up a loop antenna comprised of 536' of wire suspended about 20-25 feet off the ground. See my blog of December 3, 2011, if you are really interested in the details. At the time, I suspended the loop, or "skywire" antenna, with four poles made of chain link fencing top rail and my tower, making a total of five supports.
The skywire antenna has worked better than I ever could have imagined and I've decided that I want to elevate it some to allow it to function even better. I've tentatively settled on 45' as a goal. The top rails are "maxxed out" at 25' so there is no way to use them at increased heights (without a bunch of guy wires). Another alternative would be four additional towers; this would be totally cost prohibitive! At any rate, I have settled on utility poles as the most viable option here.
I'm now finding out that you can't just go down to the utility pole store and buy four poles! For one thing, they are very difficult to haul (you have to have a very long trailer) and install (a digger derrick truck is a must for this task). My first try was our local electrical co-op; they weren't too interested since this project isn't going to help them sell more electricity. The next try was a couple of electrical contractors who build transmission lines for the co-ops. They are used to big jobs and didn't want to mess with a ham radio operator who only wants four poles!
My last chance to get these poles and have them set is a local electrician who does quite a bit of commercial construction. If he won't do it, I may have to find a new plan! I'll let you know.
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