In Reply to: Re: Antenna Pole posted by Billoradio@aol.com on June 11, 2004 at 17:44:19:
It is some 30 or so feet high made of several bits of galvanised pipe, sleeved inside to make joints, together and bolted, there are two joints / three sections visible, plus two inside. It is more like >30 foot long /high, two wall mounts, and one eave mount, and I still haven't guyed it. (Scrounged bits? you betcha!)There are closed ring bolts at top and middle, to retain the rope I use to raise and lower the AM Wire antenna, and a deck lashing ( -.- ) near the mast's base.
The end at the bottom has a welded T-piece of pipe bolted into its bottom, to let me rotate the mast for aim. I use another very stiff pieceo'pipe, so it's rather like the top of a post-hole digger, but upside down.
Not that aiming needs doing very often. [ONE very high telecom tower and restaurant / tourist trap / thing on one big hill.] Even commercial FM stations have to use it!
The mast my be lowered into a 6 ft section of 4inch PVC pipe, set into the ground vertically, with a cap on each end, so I can just reach the top.
There are three ground rods of copper plated steel banged in, one of 12 ft, two 8 ft. My forearms were numb for a week.
IME Antennas really matter, as do down-leads and feed lines, and earthing. One day I really will run a ground plane of wires, under the soil, to help the AM wire.
The only thing I need to add is a hand-winch, with a ratchet, to raise it, and lower it under control, with the knife edge clamps undone so they don't snatch at the mast / the bolts. Bloody thing is HEAVY, 3 antennas plus mast plus 50 ft of RG6 and RG11 cable.
JBTW there's a post by me in 'vintage' I think by me about TVI and RFI. A real saga.
Warmest,
Timbo in Oz
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
Peace
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Follow Ups
- 10 feet!????? Mine's longer than that! and very, very, stiff! - Timbo in Oz 20:53:11 06/11/04 (2)
- anything worth doing is worth doing to excess - Billoradio@aol.com 11:05:36 06/12/04 (1)
- FM DX? Nope - Timbo in Oz 17:55:17 06/12/04 (0)