Tower and mast
Definition: Tower and mast:
In engineering terms, the tower is a self-supporting structure, while the mast is supported by pillars or poles.
The terms "tower" and "mast" are often used for the same type of structure, which of course causes confusion. Towers and masts have different definitions in American English and British English. In American English, these two types of structures are usually called towers, while in British English, people always use masts instead.
In order to avoid this confusion, we use the engineering aspects in this unit:
Tower = self-supporting
Mast = Supported by accommodation or players.
Types of towers and masts:
This section introduces the three most common tower/mast types used in wireless communications today; self-supporting towers, monopoles, and guyed masts.
Single pole tower:
The monopole is a hollow tapered rod made of galvanized steel. They consist of sliding welded pipes that can be up to 200 feet (60m) in height. Due to their structure, they are expensive to manufacture but simple to install.
Monopoles are mainly used in urban environments, and the tower base covers an area 2 and the available space is limited. The maximum footprint of a 200-foot monopole antenna is approximately 6x6 feet (2x2 meters)
Self-supporting tower:
Self-supporting towers (freestanding towers) are built without cables. The footprint of a self-supporting tower is larger than that of a single pole, but it is still much smaller than the area required for a cable mast.
Due to the relatively small footprint, this type of tower is often found in cities or other places where free space is insufficient.
Self-supporting towers can be built with three-sided or four-sided structures. They are assembled in sections and bolted to three or four inclined vertical tower legs.
The wider the tower base, the greater the antenna load that can be accepted.
Pull line mast:
The cable mast is fixed with a cable, and the cable is fixed on a set of concrete foundations on the ground.
The guyed mast consists of the same three-sided sections (about 10 feet (3 meters) each), which are stacked on top of each other. For example, unlike monopole antennas, the guyed mast does not taper as it rises because each part has the same width.
Because of these guys, this mast covers a lot of space. Conversely, a guyed mast can be taller than a tower without guyed wires and allows for greater antenna loading.
Guyed masts are ideal for most communication needs, including wireless Internet, cellular and antenna radio towers.
