On Fri, 5 Nov 2010 23:31:58 -0400, "Barry" wrote:

The addition of a new metal roof to my home has prompted my interest in a
small rooftop tower. I am considering the Glen Martin Engineering 4.5-
and 8-foot aluminum towers. However, in doing some research on the
company, I have read many reviews (particularly on eHam.net) where people
brought up shoddy workmanship such as misdrilled holes, double-punched
slots, burrs, incorrect documentation, missing parts, etc. Many
complaints were about shipping too. However there also were several
people well-satisfied with their products.

Because of this, I decided to check with the Better Business Bureau of
Boonville, MO, where the company is located. They have a B+ rating, and
the judging criteria of the BBB tends to give the company an overly
positive rating in my opinion. Interestingly, SalaryList.com gives the
fall 2006 salaries of design engineers at Glen Martin to be $41K and that
of a project manager to be $32K. The average salary for the county at
that time was $26.4K. I consider these to be rather low. I have not
seen any ads by the company in QST recently either, and the League has
stringent standards for any company advertising in a League publication.

None of this gives me a "warm fuzzy feeling" about the company and its
products, but I am willing to keep an open mind. I would therefore
appreciate any readers of these newsgroups posting their experiences with
the company and its products.

My application, by the way, is to support a 43-foot vertical and small
Yagi's for 6- and 2-meter SSB.

I have not even seen any of their products but they have been around
for a while.

When you undertake a project like this it is important that you
consider your expectations. If you are unwilling to solve a few
problems as you go it would be best if you contracted with some one
else to get the job done.

Installing an off site fabrication seldom happens without a few
problems. If the manufacturer is willing to work with you it helps. If
not, you must be prepared to solve the problems on your own.

They have some products that are not available anywhere else. You may
be unable to realize your objectives without their products!

BTW, public figures are seldom reliable. There are a lot of business's
that are not run with simply a profit motive.


John Ferrell W8CCW