Help. 6m guyed antenna with no permanent fixtures and limited space.

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Ant73

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Hi,

First post and I'm hoping someone might be able to help.

I started taking ADS-B positions from aircraft about 4 months ago. I gradually improved my antenna (DIY collinear) on a 6m mast. I had to take it down recently due to work being done on the house. At the time I had the most aircraft sightings in my region and in the top 10 for Australia and, in terms of actual aircraft reports, I had the highest in the country.

The mast base is a 3m section of gal pipe bolted to a 3x2 and I simply tied this to the pergola post out the back.

Inside the gal pipe is another 3m section of 1mm aluminium pipe with the collinear attached to the top. To combat the flex in the aluminium I created a guyed base to the mast as pictured which worked extremely well but it was only a proof of concept and hadn't weathered well so I don't think it is worth putting back up.

I'm hoping someone might have some suggestions on building a better guyed mast that can't have any permanent mounting to the house but will last.

A little bit about my site. Don't normally get high winds, though occasionally can get gusts of 45 knots. Doesn't get below freezing so ice loads not a problem.

Here's a pic. http://i.imgur.com/J8frdnh.jpg

Thanks in advance.
 

N4GIX

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Honestly, that was quite a clever solution to stiffening the top mast! What wasn't weathering well, the wooden stuff? If so, try sealing it with a deck sealer, or perhaps several coats of boat varnish.
 

Ant73

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Jan 5, 2018
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Melbourne, Australia
Thanks :) Yes it worked very well.
Yep the wood was unprotected and so has dried and split. I have considered protecting the wood with varnish or something, I was just wondering if there was a better way but perhaps that would be the easiest.
 

majoco

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I made a 10m unguyed pole out of ali tubing from a plumbers merchants. The Mk1 bent rather spectacularly after a particularly windy night, the Mk2 was much better in that the lower 6m was double thickness - one tube inside another - the tubing will all telescope inside the next larger and allow plenty of overlap so that in some places there was three thickness of tubing. Cut a slit in the end of the tubing and then drill a hole at the bottom of the slit - this stop a crack from developing - a hose clamp secures the inner tube inside the outer. It was sleeved at the bottom with PVC 32mm waste pipe and bracketed on to a 4x4 fence post for a 'live' hf antenna - worked well for the five years or so it was up - then I moved! It still bends alarmingly but it doesn't stay bent!
 
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