Gable mounting an antenna

KE0GXN · Feb 10, 2016

I want to gable mount a Diamond X50 antenna at the apex of my house with the following mount:

Winegard SW-0012 Gable End Mount for Off-Air TV Antenna (SW-0012) from Solid Signal

My question is mast height.... I would like to get the maximum height possible without having to guy it, so I am thinking about 10 foot mast....

Channel Master CM1810 10-Foot Galvinized Mast (CM1810) from Solid Signal foot mast

Or should I go with a 5 foot mast instead?

Solid Signal SSMAST Heavy Duty Grade 1.25-Inch TV Antenna Mast (SSMAST) from Solid Signal

n5ims · Feb 10, 2016

Question is, now steep is your roof? If it's pretty steep, the two parts of the mount will be rather far apart (and therefore will support a longer mast, perhaps even requiring one). If it's pretty flat, the two parts will be quite close together (and won't provide much support). The key is the distance your roof's slope will allow those two parts to be apart. This distance is critical in the amount of weight the mount will support and weight is not only how heavy the antenna is, but how heavy it is PLUS how much force a strong gust of wind will push that antenna (this can be quite a bit). You'll need a pretty steep roof angle to properly support a 10' mast.

Weaksignal · Feb 10, 2016

I say 5' maximum... the Winegard photo example looks more like a 3' mast. Consider your roof truss and rafter loading as well.

NDRADIONUT · Feb 10, 2016

10' will work fine !

NDRADIONUT · Feb 10, 2016

Oh and you can go to menards or home depot and get a 1" or 1.25" x 10' electrical conduit pipe for a lot less than 30 bucks... I just got a 10' x 1" for $6.00 ....

KE0GXN · Feb 11, 2016

n5ims said:
Question is, now steep is your roof? If it's pretty steep, the two parts of the mount will be rather far apart (and therefore will support a longer mast, perhaps even requiring one). If it's pretty flat, the two parts will be quite close together (and won't provide much support). The key is the distance your roof's slope will allow those two parts to be apart. This distance is critical in the amount of weight the mount will support and weight is not only how heavy the antenna is, but how heavy it is PLUS how much force a strong gust of wind will push that antenna (this can be quite a bit). You'll need a pretty steep roof angle to properly support a 10' mast.

Here is a pic of my eve:

N4GIX · Feb 11, 2016

Your roof is too shallow for an eave mount unfortunately.

The maximum spread of that Winegard lower mount is 60".

KE0GXN · Feb 11, 2016

Well, glad to find that out.....

Looks like its back to the drawing board for me.

NDRADIONUT · Feb 11, 2016

How about a small tripod on top ?

N4GIX · Feb 11, 2016

You could drive a stake* into the ground, then run a mast from there up to the eave and secure it with a u-bolt and bracket. The end on the ground will supply more than enough leverage to keep the mast secure.

* use a four foot piece of galvanized steel pipe for a stake, driving it about 3' into the ground

NDRADIONUT · Feb 11, 2016

Ya you could go up 30' from the ground !!

KE0GXN · Feb 11, 2016

Yeah, that is immediately what I thought of after Bill's post....

How high can one go on a tripod without guying?

NDRADIONUT · Feb 11, 2016

With an x-50 i suppose 15' although i have one on a 25' pole in a tripod....

N4GIX · Feb 11, 2016

KE0GXN said:
Yeah, that is immediately what I thought of after Bill's post....

How high can one go on a tripod without guying?

I've had 10' steel mast section on my tripod for eighteen years now. I have a very high and steep "hat" roof, so the tip of my antenna is around 42' AGL.

KE0GXN · Feb 11, 2016

N4GIX said:
You could drive a stake* into the ground, then run a mast from there up to the eave and secure it with a u-bolt and bracket. The end on the ground will supply more than enough leverage to keep the mast secure.

* use a four foot piece of galvanized steel pipe for a stake

That eve is over my two car garage and a concrete driveway. The reason I choose that side was because my shack is on that side of the house....

I could use the other side of the house, but that would require a lot more of a coax run, as I would have to run the coax almost the entire length of my house to get to the shack room.

KE0GXN · Feb 11, 2016

NDRADIONUT said:
With an x-50 i suppose 15' although i have one on a 25' pole in a tripod....

N4GIX said:
I've had 10' steel mast section on my tripod for eighteen years now. I have a very high and steep "hat" roof, so the tip of my antenna is around 42' AGL.

Based on what you guys are saying, looks like tripod is the way to go for me.

Appreciate the feedback guys! Now its time to research tripods.

N4GIX · Feb 11, 2016

Oh, then either a tripod on the roof, making sure to seal the lag bolts properly, or...

Use a set of these brackets that are long enough to extend past the gable's edge. Just make sure to put lag bolts into the existing studs, or install a horizontal 2x4 that you can secure between the studs.
Skywalker Signature Series 12in Heavy-duty Wall Mount - a1Components

SCPD · Feb 11, 2016

Have you considered mounting a couple pieces of 1 by 4's or 1 by 6's under the shingles across the top of the gable, and then put your gable mount on the wood? Cut an angle in the wood to fit nicely, and paint the boards before you put them up of course. Only other thing to mention if you do go this route is don't let the mast touch the shingles. That may conduit rain water to places you don't want it.

One of my antennas is mounted to the side of the house with butterfly bolts (is that what you call them?) going thru to the attic. I had to cut a couple of 6" angle iron pieces to get the pole from touching the roof. But I'll venture if you decide to go with what I'm suggesting, the extra wood will keep the mast from touching the roof.

KE0GXN · Feb 11, 2016

Wyandotte said:
Have you considered mounting a couple pieces of 1 by 4's or 1 by 6's under the shingles across the top of the gable, and then put your gable mount on the wood? Cut an angle in the wood to fit nicely, and paint the boards before you put them up of course. Only other thing to mention if you do go this route is don't let the mast touch the shingles. That may conduit rain water to places you don't want it.

One of my antennas is mounted to the side of the house with butterfly bolts (is that what you call them?) going thru to the attic. I had to cut a couple of 6" angle iron pieces to get the pole from touching the roof. But I'll venture if you decide to go with what I'm suggesting, the extra wood will keep the mast from touching the roof.

Sounds interesting and I don't see why it would not work. I like it.

I am not a carpenter/handyman by any means, but I might be able to pull that off. It will lower my overall height by a couple of feet, since the gable will be mounted a little lower from the apex, but imagine not by much...

KE0GXN · Feb 11, 2016

Oh, and I forgot to mention my house has a second top gable, kind of like this one:

Gable mounting an antenna

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