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[Jonathan Johnson]

As to money invested, you'll spend far more trying to cobble together cheap components than simply purchasing the proper gear in the first place.  Determining what is the proper gear takes time, but we'll give you the time and the benefit of the collective experience if you stick around.

BTW, my first system was some home-made speakers (old TV speakers), a Heathkit amp and a Radio Shack four channel mixer........but that was LONG ago.

Been there, done that, on the third system. And I still have the Radio Shack mixer in the attic.

...And anyone providing recommendations is essentially acting as a consultant, so maybe there are too many here.

It's nearly impossible to give specific advice on a forum such as this, since it's difficult to know the specific situation... from selecting the proper components, to their proper placement, to proper installation all depends on someone knowledgeable getting out there and looking the situation over. The folks on here will try to guide you in your quest, but if they see fundamental flaws in your approach they will be pointed out even if it doesn't directly answer your question. Consider it a bonus.

Stick around. Some of these guys have been doing this longer than I've been breathing. They know their stuff, they love sharing their knowledge (there are no trade secrets here), and they want you to have the best -- and safe -- sound possible.

[Frank DeWitt]

@ all:
when paradigms clash.....
Looks like we've lost our new member, didn' thought that the intercontinental gap is so vast.
I've seen things in the UK that were much worse than this DIY flying solution.
And guess what: they're still living! Don't get me wrong, i don't want to encourage anyone to do dangerous things.
But we all got a head on our shoulders and a brain inside, we might as well use it.
an empty head would only be better for nodding.....

Risk assessment is the name of the game, (at least here in germany "Gefährdungsanalyse") Different axioms might lead to diffrent results.
It seems to be more convient to make laws and regulations against everything potentially hazardous, but it is always surprising how creative people are if they want to find a way around.

Einstein(is said to have) said: There are two infinite things, the universe and the stupidity of man. Actually we're not sure about the universe...

There's no way to assure safety with laws, thats why we have to think for ourselfes and this thread had the chance to become a good discussion about basic acoustic principles and technical standards.
Propably leading to sound guidelines for safe installations.
(the liability issue is another topic, better suited for a laws forum)

It is sad that every question is answered by: "go find a consultant" I guess there are too much of them in this forum.

I find it amusing that we panic at anyone flying there own speakers but the same churches can have anyone from a volunteer to a licensed electrician install big ceiling fans and that is acceptable.  Ceiling fans MOVE a lot.

Long ago on another forum before I found out it just wasn't done I mentioned that we had built brackets to fly our speakers.  (The speakers are commercial units and have fly points.)

As the storm built I mentioned that the same man who built the brackets also welded together the steel holding up the church including the speakers, and that that is what he does for a living.  It made no difference. They were still home made and therefor dangerous.

I learned that fly your own speakers was not allowed on that forum no matter how it was done.

Frank

[Brad Weber]

Long ago on another forum before I found out it just wasn't done I mentioned that we had built brackets to fly our speakers.  (The speakers are commercial units and have fly points.)

As the storm built I mentioned that the same man who built the brackets also welded together the steel holding up the church including the speakers, and that that is what he does for a living.  It made no difference. They were still home made and therefor dangerous.

I learned that fly your own speakers was not allowed on that forum no matter how it was done.

A valid argument but some considerations.  While someone may be perfectly qualified to weld the steel, being qualified to design what needs to be built is a separate skill set.  I've worked with plenty of custom built speaker and array flying frames and hardware but they were designed by a licensed Structural Engineer, built based on stamped drawings and in many cases inspected by that Engineer after being built and after installation.
 
Along the same lines, it is not just the hardware but also how it is applied.  I have seen numerous examples of installations with proper speakers and hardware used but installed in such a manner, including attachment to the building structure, to potentially be unsafe.   
 
I have also personally been through a project where the arrays were not that heavy and both the Structural Engineer intially consulted and the certified rigger involved saw no problems with flying them, only to later have the Structural Engineer determine that the beams from which we planned to fly the arrays were the two in the building that were already at full design capacity and thus we could not hang anything more off them.
 
I think it is sometimes overlooked that there can be distinct differences, both ethically and legally, between comments offered by lay persons or peers and those offered by professionals.  A simple analogy is that someone describing some health symptoms in a forum and my offering a diagnosis is much different than a doctor or other medical professional responding.  The same with legal advice offered by lay persons versus attorneys.  It is really no different when addressing other topics or issues.  I know that there are many times that what I may like to say has to be tempered by what I believe is professionally appropriate and proper to say.
 
The bottom line to me is that the only recommendation I feel that should be offered by any related professional is that flying speakers, projectors, screens, etc. should only be attempted by qualified parties using appropriate devices and hardware.  However, I also cannot stop others from suggesting otherwise or prevent anyone from ignoring such recommendations and implementing other approaches, that is solely their decision.

[Frank DeWitt]

A valid argument but some considerations.

I understand completely  After many years on many sound forums I have learned that no one is qualified to fly speakers and I would never recommend that anyone do it.

Once in a while I just need to poke things a little. 

BTW  One rebuttal I received the first and only other time I raised this subject was. "Would you feel safe in attending a church built by DIYers?  Would you live in a house built by a DIYer?

My church was completely built by DIY labor (Professionally designed and inspected.)

My home was designed and built by me.  (Professionally inspected and approved.)

I will put the speaker fly subject back down now and not do it again. 

DO not fly speakers!!!!

Don't do it.

Never.

Frank

[Jonathan Johnson]

I will note that mounting a ceiling fan is a poor analogy, in that there are well-established designs engineered specifically for the mounting of ceiling fans; the mounting is generally provided by the fan manufacturer; it is usually mounted to an electrical box designed and rated for the purpose; and the installation is inspected by the local electrical inspector to ensure that it is installed according to the published criteria of the fan and electrical box manufacturer.

(It should also be noted that your insurance company may balk at paying a loss due to a failed ceiling fan mount that wasn't installed by a licensed electrician, even if it was installed correctly.)

Speakers, on the other hand, only have a factory-designed flying mount sometimes. If flown with that mount properly installed, no problem. Most of the time they are flown with a one-off bracket. It's fine for the mount to be designed and installed by a lay person, but the construction and installation should be inspected by someone qualified to evaluate the installation -- someone with a qualification that your insurance company will recognize.

After all, any other installation of electrical equipment will be inspected by the AHJ's inspector; why not speakers?

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