Bigfoot Tower

This magnificent portable tower, made by US Towers in Texas and affectionately called “Bigfoot,” was donated to SARC by Telus in 2013. Telus’s only proviso was that we use it for club activities and not sell it. Extending to 105 ft when fully deployed, it is the envy of other radio groups in the Lower Mainland.

Bigfoot is stabilized by four outrigger leveling arms and three guy cables extending from the first tower section at the 20 ft level, attached to suitable anchors. When used at the OTC, we employ two-ton concrete blocks permanently located at strategic points around the staging area.

Raising the Tower

Once in place, the tower is raised from a horizontal storage position on its trailer to vertical by a hydraulic pump and cylinder. The tower sections are then extended to the desired height by an electric winch, powered by an integral propane-powered 7 kW Generac generator. Modifications were made to allow running the hydraulics and winch from city power as needed, and to provide 110V and 220V external outlets.

Upgrades and Reliability Improvements

Following a generator electronics failure in 2023, which temporarily prevented the extended tower from being lowered, it was recognized that future generator malfunctions could pose a serious problem. As a result, an external power connection for the electric winch was installed by Steve VE7SXM in 2024.

Recent Deployments

In recent years, Bigfoot has been temporarily deployed for Field Day and the Canada Day contests in a grassy area near the OTC. This location offers the added advantage of providing an ideal anchor point for one end of our wire antennas.