Thinking of putting a vertical up. I'd go from 2" pvc, to 1", to 1/2" , in
twenty foot lengths. Will this thing support itself OK? Seems like it
might physically work OK.

"rb" wrote in message
...
Thinking of putting a vertical up. I'd go from 2" pvc, to 1", to 1/2" ,
in twenty foot lengths. Will this thing support itself OK? Seems like it
might physically work OK.


Hi rb

It reads as though you are contimplating errecting a 45 or 50 foot self
supporting vertical using PVC pipe to support the conductor. Dont spend much
money on PVC till you try some. It bends easily. I cant imagine a 20
foot length of 1/2 inch PVC (0.850OD) supporting itself even in a mild
brease, (if you could get it vertical).

Jerry KD6JDJ

"rb" wrote in message
...
Thinking of putting a vertical up. I'd go from 2" pvc, to 1", to 1/2" ,
in twenty foot lengths. Will this thing support itself OK? Seems like it
might physically work OK.
It will NOT work unless you guy it like crazy. It will fail at those
joints.
Even then, it is hard to pull it up vertical without it breaking. Even if
you get it vertical it will not stay that way.
One day you will look out and it will be leaning over at a 10 degree angle.
Then next day
it breaks. You will speak bad words. The neighbors will hear you.
I speak from experience from the summer of 2006.

K2XT

OK. Thanks. That eliminates one idea.

"rb" wrote in message
...
Thinking of putting a vertical up. I'd go from 2" pvc, to 1", to 1/2" ,
in twenty foot lengths. Will this thing support itself OK? Seems like it
might physically work OK.

Been there tried that-
It won't work.
I tried sched 40 plumbing PVC and the gray PVC sched 40 (electrical).
Pvc is ok for a 2-meter quad - but use alum or steel mast,
you may try the top-post they use for chain-link fences - I think you can
get it in 20-ft lengths.

"Hal Rosser" wrote in message
. ..

"rb" wrote in message
...
Thinking of putting a vertical up. I'd go from 2" pvc, to 1", to 1/2" ,
in twenty foot lengths. Will this thing support itself OK? Seems like
it might physically work OK.

Been there tried that-
It won't work.
I tried sched 40 plumbing PVC and the gray PVC sched 40 (electrical).
Pvc is ok for a 2-meter quad - but use alum or steel mast,
you may try the top-post they use for chain-link fences - I think you can
get it in 20-ft lengths.


I don't recommend that, either. It is heavy and bends easily. The radio
shack TV antenna mast works better.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

73,
John

"John KD5YI" wrote in message
news:sECWj.3663$lj.2181@trnddc01...

"Hal Rosser" wrote in message
. ..

"rb" wrote in message
...
Thinking of putting a vertical up. I'd go from 2" pvc, to 1", to 1/2" ,
in twenty foot lengths. Will this thing support itself OK? Seems like
it might physically work OK.

Been there tried that-
It won't work.
I tried sched 40 plumbing PVC and the gray PVC sched 40 (electrical).
Pvc is ok for a 2-meter quad - but use alum or steel mast,
you may try the top-post they use for chain-link fences - I think you can
get it in 20-ft lengths.


I don't recommend that, either. It is heavy and bends easily. The radio
shack TV antenna mast works better.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.


I have used the chain-link-fence-Top-Post and it worked fine. It was
available in 20-ft sections when I tried it.
Its made of Galvanized steel - thinner than sched 40 but stiff enough for a
mast for small antenna.

Thinking of putting a vertical up. I'd go from 2" pvc, to 1", to 1/2" ,
in twenty foot lengths. Will this thing support itself OK? Seems like it
might physically work OK.

I made a vertical colinear antenna using 6m (18 foot) of 50mm Dia (4") PVC
tube. When vertical it is Ok, BUT it has two drawbacks:

1 - It bends when the wind blows
2 - It bends when the sun shines, bends away from the sun.

The "cure" is to put a 12" across X piece at the midle of it, then thread 4
nylon fishing lines from end-to-end, so the line is fastened to each end and
one leg of the X. This is the "ships mast principle" for stopping a flexible
mast bending.

You said yo want to use 2" diameter, and 7 metre lengths (20 foot). Sounds
like you will have a worse problem than me. There is no reason why you
cannot have three of these Xs along the length of the tube so that they
overlap. See the drawing at:

http://web.telia.com/~u85920178/ante...-shipsmast.gif

Hope this helps. Regards H

Harry Lippitz wrote:
Thinking of putting a vertical up. I'd go from 2" pvc, to 1", to 1/2" ,
in twenty foot lengths. Will this thing support itself OK? Seems like it
might physically work OK.

I made a vertical colinear antenna using 6m (18 foot) of 50mm Dia (4") PVC
tube. When vertical it is Ok, BUT it has two drawbacks:

A rule of thumb that I developed by trial and error is
that the height limit for a PVC support or vertical is
about 20 feet. After wasting a lot of time trying to
go higher, I switched to 2x4s.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com