Bracketed
 
Self-Supporting
Light weight tubular towers that are attached with a bracket to a building or other structure are called bracketed towers and are useful up to about 40 feet. No more than two sections (20 feet) are allowed above the point where the bracket attaches to the supporting building. Sections above that require guy wires or better still, use a self-supporting tower. These towers do not require a concrete base, instead large pins are hammered into the ground to keep the base from moving away from the building. This is the least expensive type of tower.
 
Self supporting towers do not need to be attached to any supporting structure. Instead, the bottom section of the tower is buried in a large block of concrete. This type of tower can be installed pretty much anywhere within about 200' of where the internet service is required. These towers are more expensive per foot than bracketed towers for two reasons. First the steel sections are larger and made with heavier gauge metal, and second they require up to 2.5 cubic yards of concrete and the use of a back hoe to prepare the foundation.