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Old December 8th 15, 05:48 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
Tom W3TDH Tom W3TDH is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Nov 2012
Posts: 26
Default Old army portable mast

On Monday, December 7, 2015 at 11:40:48 AM UTC-5, gareth wrote:
ABout 40 years ago on the ex-MOD list were some sectional
30 ft poles complete with guys, base insulator and whip for the
top.

I've just recovered the 3ft sections that I used for my 16mm train lift,
and am disappointed to find that the brass / copper screw together bits
did not extend all the way along the sections which are steel tubes
and which have rusted through!

So, not really usable as a radiator, but probably OK for a temporary
mast to hold something else up.

Were these Clansman components?


I cannot identify the mast kit from your brief description but the three foot mast sections and base insulator with an added whip section remind me of the US Army Signal Corps AB-86 mast kit which was used with the GRA-4 and GRA-12 radios. The insulator looks like this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/141846318125?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2648&ssPageNa me=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
The Whip Adapter looks like this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MILITARY-SURPLUS-MX-857-GRA-4-ANTENNA-ADAPTER-MAST-GRC-PRC-RADIO-FIELD-PHONE-/221546632606?hash=item339535559e:m:mtruHdTSfKJoHjp wZ_OVryg
Thing is that mast kit went up to Forty Feet in height as they had Sixteen AB-85 Mast Sections, each Thirty Six inches long with Six inches of overlap.. The mast adapter allowed the addition of the MS-116, MX-117, & MS-118 vehicle whip assembly which added Fifteen Feet for a total Height of Fifty Five Feet. With the insulator at the bottom and insulators in each guy line the whole mast could then be used as a vertical. The antenna kit also had a counterpoise that could be laid out from the base of the mast.

I have assembled Five of the AB-155(B) Mast Kits and added the base insulators from the older AB-86 kits. The only thing I am now short of is four of the MX-857/GRA-4 mast adapters. Once I obtain those I can equip Five teams with the augmented AB-155(B) Mast Kits and the AN/GRA-50 antenna kits that will allow them to make any single antenna they can practically use when operating as mobile resource. The two kits can be set up to emulate the performance of many of the single purpose antennas that the US military now seems to favor.

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Tom Horne W3TDH