telescoping antenna mast?

[Prybry]

Has anyone here ever attempted a mast type antenna for back country camping... I'm thinking about putting a telescoping mast on the back of my truck camper for our ARRL field day coming up in June.

I see a couple +20ft models are available, does anyone have experiance to share on how to mount, wire, etc...

Don't have the radio yet either, thinking a VHF/UHF/HF mobile would do nicely.

 

[nickt]

Prybry, while not exactly answering your question I installed a High Sierra HS-1800/Pro on my D90. It's connected to my Icom IC-7000 which is a great UHF/VHF/HF radio (I have two if that's any recommendation). This antenna is only good for HF and 6 meters, and I complement it with a Diamond NR770HB for VHF/UHF. A nice self-contained setup which covers 80m-70cm mobile.

For field operations, and as John also suggests, I'm going to buy and try a Buddipole, a couple of local hams have recommended them to me. I'll pair this with my second IC-7000 and a Peli case, for a nice portable HF rig - and also my preferred setup for truck camper operations (I have a Kenwood TM-D710 in the cab for mobile 2m/70cm ops, with an integrated GPS for APRS operations.).

Cheers,
Nick.

 

[gary in ohio]

How high do you want to go and what do you want to support on it. If its just a dipole mfj and kanga make telescopic poles. I have several army camo support poles I use at field day. There a bit heavy for backpacking but ok for auto transport. 1 person can easily setup 20ft mast, 3 people for 30ft and I have gone to 50ft with one but it takes about 5 or 6 people to erect, to much weight to tilt up will snap the fiber glass but you can build it from the bottom and push up and place new sections under the other sections.

I used mine for field day and temporary supports for dipoles, small UhF/VHF yagis and verticals.

 

[lcsodiver]

I too use the painters pole, with a home built j-pole out of copper water pipe..... that collapses down like a tent pole.


But I am thinking of trying one of these, a buddy has one and they look really sturdy.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95598

 

[Prybry]

The Harbor Freight pole looks like the ticket!

Icsodiver, thanks for the link...
That 20' pole should do the job, just have to fab some mounts...
cool!

nickt... whoa, two IC-7000's! I can't bring myself to part with that much coin... looking at a FT-857 for myself.

Thanks guys...

I'll post some pics when I get the rig setup...
Prybry

 

[gary in ohio]

Depending on the antenna your planning on using the metal flag pole may or may not be a good idea. I you want a basic HF antenna, Turn the flag pole into a inverted L, Hand some wire off the top and streach it as far as you can. If you want to put a dipole at the top get the feed point away from the mast.
You can also put a u/vhf antenna on the top and load the metal mast as well. radials act as a top hat on HF and a ground plan on u/vhf.


Gary

 

[Geronimo]

This is my set up, would have been expensive if the material was not free It is two 10' sticks of 1 1/2 alum. ridgid conduit, and one piece of 1". the 1 1/2 is joined with a coupler and the 1" is pined in place. I use a 2xb ringo ranger antenna. This pic is at the Baja 500, doing relay work for Score.

This is it stored on my old ranger in route to Cocos to do radio work for the Checkers club at the Baja 1000.

I can stand it by myself, it has been in a 50 mile an hour wind and never guyed. I have several Kenwood TM271A's that use with this set up

 

[Prybry]

This is my set up, would have been expensive if the material was not free It is two 10' sticks of 1 1/2 alum. ridgid conduit, and one piece of 1". the 1 1/2 is joined with a coupler and the 1" is pined in place. I use a 2xb ringo ranger antenna. This pic is at the Baja 500, doing relay work for Score.



This is it stored on my old ranger in route to Cocos to do radio work for the Checkers club at the Baja 1000.



I can stand it by myself, it has been in a 50 mile an hour wind and never guyed. I have several Kenwood TM271A's that use with this set up

Curious what the base of the mast looks like... a gound plate w/stakes? bumper mount? Just trying to get some ideas for my mount.
thanks,
Prybry

 

[Prybry]

This is what I have in mind...

I'm thinking something like this for the mount...

 

[Geronimo]

The mount is a 2" thin wall tube welded in a tee to a 2" square tube that plugs into the receiver hitch. It uses a coupe of 1/2 bolts for set screws. I have a pivot mount designed but never built that uses a swinging trailer jack. I don't have a pic, but it is long enough to allow the tailgate to lower. not much help for you with the camper.

 

[Tennmogger]

I'm thinking something like this for the mount...

That idea works great. Here's an example on a Unimog 404 radio truck with a pneumatic mast (we should all have goals!). I have been looking for one of those telescoping masts for 10 years, and the log-periodic UHF-VHF antenna would be a bonus! I saw one on Ebay once, the mast, in Belgium, and I tucked my tail and quit looking when the price went above $450 (then add shipping!).

The truck with the rear mast antenna is not mine. The truck with the whips on top is mine. The standard NATO whip antennas work great on 20-10m bands, and for 40 and 80m I add a 50 ft wire attached to the whip, just as Gary in Ohio suggested. Works great on NVIS at about 10 ft above ground.

Bob
WB4ETT

 

[Geronimo]

That idea works great. Here's an example on a Unimog 404 radio truck with a pneumatic mast (we should all have goals!). I have been looking for one of those telescoping masts for 10 years, and the log-periodic UHF-VHF antenna would be a bonus! I saw one on Ebay once, the mast, in Belgium, and I tucked my tail and quit looking when the price went above $450 (then add shipping!).


WB4ETT

A friend has a couple of those pneumatic masts, unfortunately the seals are so dried out that it will not deploy. I looked at having seals made and it made your $450 look cheep. I also spent a day at a big seal house in PHX looking through catalogs with no results.

 

[KD5KIZ]

Here are a couple of ideas. I use a 35ft' hot shot pole that came from a swap meet, I use this for ATV with beam and HF with inverted V or windom NVIS.

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1080194953010389170WbmLEM

http://www.mgs4u.com/fiberglass-push-up-mast.htm Max Gain Systems

 

[lcsodiver]

the thread but please elaborate a little on the J pole that collapses like a tent pole?

I'm going to make one that does that and I'm wondering what yours uses for a coupling? Have you tested it for SWR?

Thanks.

Here is a couple of picts of the j-pole... swr is 1.1 to 1 on 2m and 1.3 to 1 on 440 :wings:






Here is a very nice video on how to build it.
http://www.aprstv.com/

and the link to the original build site.
http://ka0zlg.web-features.com/

 

[lcsodiver]

Here's a couple of other mast picts. The 2 on the left are j-poles on paint poles (mine is the front left yellow one)the front right one is on a fiberglass crappie fishing pole. and the beam on the far right is mine on my 24 foot aluminum ladder with a rotor. This was set up for a 30 hour dog sled race as communication support. Sorry bout the size, but it does make it easier to see the masts.