New or used towers
Due to many people switching to cable TV in the 90’s and 00’s many TV towers fell into disrepair and disuse. Now as many people are rebelling over the cost of cable as they realize that free Over The Air (OTA) TV is actually superior to that provided by cable TV (it is a dirty little secret). That along with the fact you can supplement your TV service with other internet services such as Netflix or Shomi, why bother with cable at another $50+ a month. Now people are looking again at antennas and consequently antenna towers. This seems to have created a marketplace for used towers.
Over the last couple of years I have seen many ads on Kijiji and local boards for used antenna towers. I even remember (5 years ago) driving 60 miles to somewhere way west of Kanata to see a guy with a couple of used towers. Once there I saw how bad they really were. Looking at towers in my travels, you either see towers with seemingly operational antennas (obviously not for sale) or clearly unused battered rusted heaps from the 70s or 80s.
Beware ads for free or cheap towers. There are a lot of possible gotchas.
Unless it was a well installed and maintained tower from within the last decade or 2, I wouldn’t even consider it. I have seen some decent used towers for $500 but really our new towers start complete at $650 all in (plus shipping). A new tower comes with reliability and safety that is worth well beyond the price. Saying that, finding a well maintained rust free tower for free is possible. However the chance is probably similar to finding a low mileage 1963 Corvette Stingray split window in a barn.
Over the last couple of years I have seen many ads on Kijiji and local boards for used antenna towers. I even remember (5 years ago) driving 60 miles to somewhere way west of Kanata to see a guy with a couple of used towers. Once there I saw how bad they really were. Looking at towers in my travels, you either see towers with seemingly operational antennas (obviously not for sale) or clearly unused battered rusted heaps from the 70s or 80s.
Beware ads for free or cheap towers. There are a lot of possible gotchas.
- The tower’s bottom section may be unusable as it was installed incorrectly (ie. buried in the ground or cement).
- Many towers membranes/crossbraces/rivets are rusted and simply too dangerous for the occasional climb (to remove, install or maintain).
- Bolts may be loose or rusted beyond saving. Using the proper bolts/washers on your tower is a key part of the original engineering of the tower.
Unless it was a well installed and maintained tower from within the last decade or 2, I wouldn’t even consider it. I have seen some decent used towers for $500 but really our new towers start complete at $650 all in (plus shipping). A new tower comes with reliability and safety that is worth well beyond the price. Saying that, finding a well maintained rust free tower for free is possible. However the chance is probably similar to finding a low mileage 1963 Corvette Stingray split window in a barn.