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Old July 4th 04, 08:37 PM
Da Shadow
 
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Default Mechanical Help needed on 32 foot vertical

For Field Day we homebrewed a 32 foot vertical out of five swimming pool
poles. Secured to a six foot tripod with spikes in each tripod leg.

The radiator was a 32 foot length of zip cord.

Four radials (zip cord) were used at about the 10 foot level drooping down.

SWR was 1:1.5 to one across the 40 M band

Used it on 15M as well with SWR less than 2.5 to one.

Antenna worked well across country on both bands. West coast to east coast.

Next year I would like to refine it by replacing the swimming pool poles
with aluminum tubing (6 foot sections) where each section fits into the
previous one. Figure I will need 6 sections to allow for 4 inches inserts.
Then hose clamp them. May have to double up and use double wall tubing.

Trying to figure what diameter to start with at the bottom. Greatly prefer
NOT to use guy wires.

Another problem is insulating the 32 foot radiator from the tripod. Maybe a
5 foot section of plastic pipe PVC ???

Maybe I am better off to use the swimming poles as they didn't fall down for
24 hours (;-)

Ideas appreciated

--
Lamont Cranston

The Shadow Knows


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Old July 4th 04, 08:48 PM
Da Shadow
 
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Also want to raise the antenna Iwo Jima Style -- i.e., no raising fixtures
just horse it up from ground to the vertical with 3 or 4 helpers.
--
Lamont Cranston

The Shadow Knows
"Da Shadow" wrote in message
news:m0ZFc.12837$z81.1499@fed1read01...
For Field Day we homebrewed a 32 foot vertical out of five swimming pool
poles. Secured to a six foot tripod with spikes in each tripod leg.

The radiator was a 32 foot length of zip cord.

Four radials (zip cord) were used at about the 10 foot level drooping

down.

SWR was 1:1.5 to one across the 40 M band

Used it on 15M as well with SWR less than 2.5 to one.

Antenna worked well across country on both bands. West coast to east

coast.

Next year I would like to refine it by replacing the swimming pool poles
with aluminum tubing (6 foot sections) where each section fits into the
previous one. Figure I will need 6 sections to allow for 4 inches inserts.
Then hose clamp them. May have to double up and use double wall tubing.

Trying to figure what diameter to start with at the bottom. Greatly prefer
NOT to use guy wires.

Another problem is insulating the 32 foot radiator from the tripod. Maybe

a
5 foot section of plastic pipe PVC ???

Maybe I am better off to use the swimming poles as they didn't fall down

for
24 hours (;-)

Ideas appreciated

--
Lamont Cranston

The Shadow Knows




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Old July 4th 04, 09:53 PM
JGBOYLES
 
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For Field Day we homebrewed a 32 foot vertical out of five swimming pool
poles. Secured to a six foot tripod with spikes in each tripod leg.


I have used a vertical supported by a 33' fiberglass push up pole. (Kanga and
MFJ among others sell these, about $90) The radiator was #14 stranded wire.
Required no guys, clamped the bottom to a 4' wooden fence with a couple of
conduit clamps. One year I used my deck railing and conduit clamps.
This vertical can easily be raised and lowered by 1 person. I have also used
this as the support for an 80-10m inv. vee, and two of them for 80-10m dipole.
It took one person (me) 20 minutes to get the 80-10m dipole in the air.
I know this didn't exactly answer the question you asked, but it might give
you some options.
73 Gary N4AST
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Old July 4th 04, 09:59 PM
Dave Platt
 
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Next year I would like to refine it by replacing the swimming pool poles
with aluminum tubing (6 foot sections) where each section fits into the
previous one. Figure I will need 6 sections to allow for 4 inches inserts.
Then hose clamp them. May have to double up and use double wall tubing.


Another alternative: I've been told that it's easy to purchase
sections of aluminum tubing with built-in snap-together fittings.
They're sold in the concrete/cement portion of building-supply stores,
and are used to create the long handles for concrete "floating"
(smoothing) tools.

I picked up a half-dozen poles like this at a local surplus-metals
dealer. They'd make a very decent mast, and probably a decent
vertical (although I'm not sure just how reliable an electrical
contact exists between adjacent sections when they're snapped
together). They're 1" in diameter and have an overlap area of about
2".

Trying to figure what diameter to start with at the bottom. Greatly prefer
NOT to use guy wires.


I'd encourage you to always use at least one set of guys on an
impromptu vertical of this size. It really wouldn't take all that
much wind force at the top to render your tripod unstable... and
having a 32-foot aluminum pole come down on somebody's head would
really spoil your Field Day.

Another problem is insulating the 32 foot radiator from the tripod. Maybe a
5 foot section of plastic pipe PVC ???


Sure, that'd work. PVC cap on the bottom, notch out a spot a couple
of inches above the bottom to run a cable-and-clamp through, and you'd
be good to go.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!
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Old July 4th 04, 10:54 PM
Cecil Moore
 
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Default

Da Shadow wrote:
Trying to figure what diameter to start with at the bottom. Greatly prefer
NOT to use guy wires.


Check with Texas Towers (http://www.texastowers.com). They have a program
for computing such. You will be surprised at the large diameter necessary
to avoid guy wires. It wasn't worth it for me. It's super easy to guy using
black dacron string/rope.

Another problem is insulating the 32 foot radiator from the tripod. Maybe a
5 foot section of plastic pipe PVC ???


I wrapped the bottom aluminum tubing section in PVC pipe and U-bolted it
to a 2x4. Perhaps something like that would work for you.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp



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Old July 4th 04, 11:25 PM
Crazy George
 
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Default

Shakespeare makes exactly what you want, but you can't afford it. It is
self supporting up to 15 knot wind, the nylon guys are necessary above that.
Shakespeare calls it a "Style 120-60", Military nomenclature is AT1011/U.

--
Crazy George
Remove N O and S P A M imbedded in return address
"Da Shadow" wrote in message
news:m0ZFc.12837$z81.1499@fed1read01...
For Field Day we homebrewed a 32 foot vertical out of five swimming pool
poles. Secured to a six foot tripod with spikes in each tripod leg.

The radiator was a 32 foot length of zip cord.

Four radials (zip cord) were used at about the 10 foot level drooping

down.

SWR was 1:1.5 to one across the 40 M band

Used it on 15M as well with SWR less than 2.5 to one.

Antenna worked well across country on both bands. West coast to east

coast.

Next year I would like to refine it by replacing the swimming pool poles
with aluminum tubing (6 foot sections) where each section fits into the
previous one. Figure I will need 6 sections to allow for 4 inches inserts.
Then hose clamp them. May have to double up and use double wall tubing.

Trying to figure what diameter to start with at the bottom. Greatly prefer
NOT to use guy wires.

Another problem is insulating the 32 foot radiator from the tripod. Maybe

a
5 foot section of plastic pipe PVC ???

Maybe I am better off to use the swimming poles as they didn't fall down

for
24 hours (;-)

Ideas appreciated

--
Lamont Cranston

The Shadow Knows




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Old July 5th 04, 02:11 AM
aunwin
 
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Default

You can buy mast sections on E BAY made of either aluminum or fibre glass
( which can interconnect) upon which you can stick on aluminum(sticky back)
tape. They come in about 50 " lengths and slide into each other. You can
also buy a tripod connection into which you can place fibre glass sections.
Diameter of mast is about 2" From memory a 50 foot pole was less than $50.
You could also add telescopic Roach (crappie) fishing poles which are 20'-0"
long which are also on E Bay at about $30 for two. There are lots of
inexpensive ways to make antennas for field day and hikers.
Have fun
Art


"Crazy George" wrote in message
...
Shakespeare makes exactly what you want, but you can't afford it. It is
self supporting up to 15 knot wind, the nylon guys are necessary above

that.
Shakespeare calls it a "Style 120-60", Military nomenclature is AT1011/U.

--
Crazy George
Remove N O and S P A M imbedded in return address
"Da Shadow" wrote in message
news:m0ZFc.12837$z81.1499@fed1read01...
For Field Day we homebrewed a 32 foot vertical out of five swimming pool
poles. Secured to a six foot tripod with spikes in each tripod leg.

The radiator was a 32 foot length of zip cord.

Four radials (zip cord) were used at about the 10 foot level drooping

down.

SWR was 1:1.5 to one across the 40 M band

Used it on 15M as well with SWR less than 2.5 to one.

Antenna worked well across country on both bands. West coast to east

coast.

Next year I would like to refine it by replacing the swimming pool poles
with aluminum tubing (6 foot sections) where each section fits into the
previous one. Figure I will need 6 sections to allow for 4 inches

inserts.
Then hose clamp them. May have to double up and use double wall tubing.

Trying to figure what diameter to start with at the bottom. Greatly

prefer
NOT to use guy wires.

Another problem is insulating the 32 foot radiator from the tripod.

Maybe
a
5 foot section of plastic pipe PVC ???

Maybe I am better off to use the swimming poles as they didn't fall down

for
24 hours (;-)

Ideas appreciated

--
Lamont Cranston

The Shadow Knows






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Old July 5th 04, 02:59 AM
K9SQG
 
Posts: n/a
Default

High voltage hotsticks can be made self supporting.
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Old July 5th 04, 05:47 PM
Allodoxaphobia
 
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Default

On Sun, 4 Jul 2004 12:37:54 -0700, Da Shadow hath writ:
For Field Day we homebrewed a 32 foot vertical out of five swimming pool
poles. Secured to a six foot tripod with spikes in each tripod leg.

snip
Ideas appreciated


At the risk of giving away secret(s) that will require The
Gunnison Valley ARC to bust their butts even harder next year
to remain in the Top Ten of the 1A class, here's the 40M
vertical I built for us. At 2 A.M. it yields DX-style pile ups.
(Of course, "DX-style" pileups can be a curse -- they lower the
Q-rate.) Several times we have achieved 40M-WAS during FD.

It's a 2-element phased vertical made of ten-foot sections
of top-rail fence pipe. Each vertical, of course consists
of 3 sections to get to 30'. Then, a Big Hair Pin made from
10 ga. aluminium wire is pop-rivited to each top section to
Go The Extra Distance.

As best I can do in ASCII art, here's an astronaut's view of
the sucker:

. .
\ /
\ /
\ /
\ /
*-------------*
/ \
/ \
/ \
/ \

Of course, if you're not using a fixed-pitch font on usenet, then
this is a lot of gibberish....

All the guy wires are attached at the 20+ foot level --
just above the 2nd junction (i.e., at the *bottom* of the top
section). The center guy simply runs vertical-to-vertical.
In other words, there are only 4 ground attached guys.
It can be erected by three fellers in calm air (not recommended.)
Four fellers can throw it up easily.

You want to seek out the top rail fence pipe that has *DEEP*
slip fit joints. Ours are about 7".

I've already given away too much. HI!HI!
The phasing harness, the 1/4 wave matching section, the radials, and
controlling the directivity are left as An Exercise For The Student.

73 es gl,
Jonesy
--
| Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | linux
| Gunnison, Colorado | @ | Jonesy | OS/2 __
| 7,703' -- 2,345m | config.com | DM68mn SK
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Old July 8th 04, 03:22 PM
Da Shadow
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Many thanks for the responses to my query. Found a 22 foot fiberglass Flag
pole on E-bay. That plus 10 foot of aluminum mast should do the trick. And
guy ropes are in order as suggested.

--
Lamont Cranston

The Shadow Knows
For Field Day we homebrewed a 32 foot vertical out of five swimming

pool
poles. Secured to a six foot tripod with spikes in each tripod leg.

The radiator was a 32 foot length of zip cord.

Four radials (zip cord) were used at about the 10 foot level drooping

down.

SWR was 1:1.5 to one across the 40 M band

Used it on 15M as well with SWR less than 2.5 to one.

Antenna worked well across country on both bands. West coast to east

coast.

Next year I would like to refine it by replacing the swimming pool

poles
with aluminum tubing (6 foot sections) where each section fits into

the
previous one. Figure I will need 6 sections to allow for 4 inches

inserts.
Then hose clamp them. May have to double up and use double wall

tubing.

Trying to figure what diameter to start with at the bottom. Greatly

prefer
NOT to use guy wires.

Another problem is insulating the 32 foot radiator from the tripod.

Maybe
a
5 foot section of plastic pipe PVC ???

Maybe I am better off to use the swimming poles as they didn't fall

down
for
24 hours (;-)

Ideas appreciated

--
Lamont Cranston

The Shadow Knows








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