Putting up a small mast, need the basics
 

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 19:49:44 -0600, Leonard Martin
wrote:

Hello,

I'm returning to ham radio after 10 years' inactivity, and my health and
pocket book require me to start small. I bought one of those cool 33'
telescoping fiberglass masts, and I intend to erect one of those in my
small downtown lot.

But how do I create a base for the thing? I can't mount it to the side
of my house. It's covered with fragile siding. I don't know how to
create a buried concrete base for a conventional mast. I'm not in shape
for that job.

Well, if it's okay for the mast to be next to your house -- why not
just set the mast on the ground in a shallow hole, and support it with
your roof overhang, about 10 or 12 feet up?

You might also check the Radio Shack web site -- they have all kinds
of inexpensive brackets, guys and paraphernalia for tv-type masts,
which may work with your fiberglas mast.

bob
k5qwg



I thought I'd just get an 8 foot length of pipe a little smaller than
the fiberglass mast, drive it into the ground, and either mount the mast
to the pipe with standoffs or, even simpler, just slide the mast down
around the pipe and let the pipe support the mast from within (and be
the safety ground for the assembly at the same time).

However, I don't know how to be sure I'm driving the pipe into the
ground straight, and I'd sure hate to end up with my mast leaning.
Also, how do you get up high enough to drive an 8' length of pipe in the
ground in the first place?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Leonard
WD5DNQ

Just call me, I do installations.
Toney, Alabama

Leonard Martin wrote:
"But how do I create a base for this thing?"

Best source of information is usually the supplier of the "thing". He
has incentive as it helps sales to show you, the customer, how to use
the product to your satisfaction. Telescoping fiberglass masts
especially need detailed instructions due to novelty and
complexity.Contact the manufacturer if the seller won`t help. He may
respond to an e-mail. They should show you how to make and place good
concrete.

Rohn Towers, for example, has published books on how to choose and use
their products.

The all-purpose source of antenna information, "The ARRL Antenna Book"
has in my 19th edition, tower bases on page 22-12. Unfortunately they
don`t tell you how to make good concrete. You need a mix rich in cement
(a 6-sack mix) and nearly as dry as you can mix it and be sure that it`s
just damp enough for all the cement to react sooner or later. You place
concrete, rather than pour it. It`s worth reading the book anyway.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI