2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.

COMMUNICATION
STRUCTURES SPECIFICATIONS
Steve Krohn, P.E.
2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Make Sure You Get What You OrderToday
and in the Future
Explain the implications of good
specifications
Short term and long term financial
impacts
Are you getting everything you are
asking for?
Comparison of Specification
Interpretations
Examples of specifications based
on our experience
Question and Answer session


2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Structure Specifications
Are you meeting your future requirements?
Is your 4 carrier structure really a 4 carrier
structure?
Are you really saving money?
Is todays choice affecting tomorrows
reinforcement budget?


2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Structure Specifications
The Playbook

Basic Requirements
Details your design expectations
Provides the loading requirements that you have
specified for current and future use
Provide the same specifications to all
manufacturers so you receive comparable bids
Ensures all manufacturers are designing based
on the same requirements

2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Important Specification Information
Structure Height
Design Code
Mount Options
Antenna/Microwave Mount Locations
Design purposes only?
Antenna Sizes
Dish Specifications
Site Location
Longitude and Latitude
Exposure Category
Topography Category
Structure Classification
Cable/Waveguide Size and Quantity
Additional Load Clarification

2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Design Code Options
TIA/EIA-222-Rev F vs. TIA-222-Rev G
Rev F
Allowable Design
Fastest Mile wind speed
Rev G
Limit State Design
3-sec gust wind speed
Site Characteristics included when considering wind
loading
Includes Seismic and Ice Loading consideration
90 mph Rev G is approximately 75 mph Rev F



2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Platforms
13 Low Profile Platform without handrails
13 Low Profile Platform with handrails
Extensions Arms
T-Arms

Significant EPA differences

Mount Options
2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Antenna Size
Effective Projected Area typically accounts for
more than 50% of the forces on the pole

(48)- 6 x 1 x 4 antennas: EPA= 390.2 ft
2

(48)- 8 x 1 x 4 antennas: EPA= 550.5 ft
2


2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Site Characteristics and Structure Classification
Exposure Category
Variations in ground surface roughness that arise from topography and vegetation as
well as from constructed features. (TIA-222-G)
Exposure B: Structures in Urban or Suburban areas.
Exposure C (default): Structures located in open terrain scattered with obstructions
that are less than 30 tall.
Exposure D: Structure is in flat, unobstructed shoreline exposed to wind flowing over
open water.



2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Topography Category
Location of structure to hills, ridges, and escarpments that constitute abrupt changes in
geography will result in wind speed-up effects. (TIA-222-G)
Category 1 (default)- No abrupt changes in general topography.
Category 2- Structures located at or near the crest of an escarpment.
Category 3- Structures located in the upper half of a hill.
Category 4- Structures located in the upper half of a ridge or mountain.
Site Characteristics and Structure Classification
Escarpment Flat Hill Mountain
2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Site Characteristics and Structure Classification
Structure Classification
Importance factor based on classification of human hazard/property damage if
structure was out of service for an extended period of time (TIA-222-G)
Class 1 (I=0.87): Structures that due to height, use or location represent a low hazard
to human life and damage to property in the event of a failure and/or used for
services that are optional. I.E. Ham Radio Tower
Class 2 (I=1.0) (default): Structures that due to height, use or location represent a
substantial hazard to human life and damage to property in the event of a failure
and/or used for services that may be provided by other means. I.E. Typical Cell Tower
Class 3 (I=1.15): Structures that due to height, use or location represent a high hazard
to human life and damage to property in the event of a failure and/or used for
primary communication. I.E. Emergency Response Tower



2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Dish Specifications
Sway Requirements based on dish
frequency and dish size
The higher the frequency the stricter
the twist and sway requirements
2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Steps to competitive and proper designs
Well written specifications
Contact Valmont Industries for all your
specification questions and concerns.
Provide any clarification to all manufacturers
Review designs
Ensure that specifications are adhered to
If base reactions are significantly different there
is a difference in specification interpretation

2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Steps to competitive and proper designs
14
The lowest price doesnt always meet your
needs.






Did you get what you wanted?

2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions
15

2010 Valmont Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
Site Characteristics and Structure Classification
Exposure Category
Variations in ground surface roughness that arise from topography and vegetation as
well as from constructed features. (TIA-222-G)
Exposure B: Urban and suburban areas, wooded areas, or other terrain with numerous
closely spaced obstructions having the size of single-family dwellings or larger. Use of
this exposure shall be limited to those areas for which terrain representative of
Exposure B surrounds the structure in a ll directions for a distance of at least 2,630 ft
(800m) or ten times the height of the structure, whichever is greater.
Exposure C: Structures located in open terrain scattered with obstructions that are less
than 30 tall (9.1m). This category includes flat, open country, grasslands and
shorelines in hurricane prone regions.
Exposure D: Structure is in flat, unobstructed shoreline exposed to wind flowing over
open water (excluding hurricane prone regions) for a distance of at least 1 mile (1.61
km). Shorelines in Exposure D include inland waterways, lakes and non-hurricane
coastal areas. Exposure D extends inland a distance of 660 ft (200 m) or ten times
the height of the structure, whichever is greater. Smooth mud flats, salt flats and other
similar terrain shall be considered as Exposure D.