Chimney Mounts....where to get a GOOD set.

[DewAddict]

I am moving my antenna to the chimney from the garage area and I will be using 15' of mast attached to the chimney for a total height of about 27' from the ground.

I have heard horror stories about using Rad Shack chimney mounts and am looking for a source of some good quality mounts that I won't have to worry about breaking with the slightest wind. I figure a chimney mount will provide the best support as the only other option would be on the vent which is real shaky.

If you know where to get the good stuff, let me know.

Thanks.

 

[SCPD]

The last one I've installed was bought at Lowe's about 6 years ago. It's still up, for whatever that's worth. The last time I look, Lowe's still carried mast pipe, antennas, rotors, etc.

 

[DewAddict]

Really??..Lowe's?? Nice. That will work, didn't even think about trying them. Thought I was gonna have to go online.

Thanks.

 

[N4JNW]

RadioShack used to have chimney mounts. Not sure if they do anymore or not though. I'm sure they've been discontinued.

If you could find a older RadioShack store that maybe had one in old stock, or in the back you could probably get one there. Otherwise, Check Lowes, or Home Depot. They should have them as mentioned.

 

[Dubbin]

Really??..Lowe's?? Nice. That will work, didn't even think about trying them. Thought I was gonna have to go online.

Thanks.

Last time I checked, Lowes had 30' telescopic masts. Maybe thats a better option for you?

 

[N4JNW]

Last time I checked, Lowes had 30' telescopic masts. Maybe thats a better option for you?

I have never seen these. How much do you recall them being? This could be quite handy for me very soon..... I might have to pick one up..

 

[Dubbin]

I'm thinking they are around $30-$40.

 

[DewAddict]

I checked the Lowe's in my area some time ago for the telescopic masts and the salesman could not find them so I checked with the asst. manager and he stated he did not carry them at that particular store.

I'm assuming they are not available at all Lowe's. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[jim202]

Most chimney construction will not hold much of a load. Trying to put a 15 foot mast
on it will for sure cause it to crack and fail. That is way too much force being applied
to the brick and mortar. The type of construction is designed for compression
and not tension. Just like a bridge, the concrete is used in compression. If put
under tension, it will crack and fail. I don't care if you use 4000 pound mix.

Do as you please, just expect to have the chimney worked on in a couple of
years if you put this kind of a load on it. The repair will be rather expensive.

Jim

I am moving my antenna to the chimney from the garage area and I will be using 15' of mast attached to the chimney for a total height of about 27' from the ground.

I have heard horror stories about using Rad Shack chimney mounts and am looking for a source of some good quality mounts that I won't have to worry about breaking with the slightest wind. I figure a chimney mount will provide the best support as the only other option would be on the vent which is real shaky.

If you know where to get the good stuff, let me know.

Thanks.

 

[DewAddict]

hmmm..ok I appreciate the info. Although I do see homes that have a 10' mast chimney mounted and a massive VHF/UHF TV beam antenna on them and all I am mounting on it will be a tri-band vertical that weighs about 4.5lbs.

So maybe I'll just go with 10' or even 5'....

 

[n5usr]

*shrug* I've had a Radio Shack chimney mount up for about three years now, and it's still just fine. As is the chimney. Frankly, I don't like RS's new mount, I put one on my parents' chimney many years ago (which - now I think of it - is still there, with a small TV antenna on it) that had heavier brackets. The new ones are flimsier, and as a result my mast is slightly off-vertical as one got bent a bit in a particularly fierce wind storm we had. Not enough for me to worry about though.

But that mount held a 17 foot fiberglass repeater antenna (Diamond X500HNA - sways like MAD in a high wind!) on top of 15 feet of mast for most of the three years. Early this year I moved that antenna to a new location. Now the chimney mount has a discone on top of the 15 feet of mast. It doesn't move at all.

One thought - perhaps how well it lasts has to do with the size of chimney and how far apart the mounts are? The straps were just long enough to get around my chimney with little to spare, and I have them about 3 feet apart - the 5 foot mast section of my 15 feet sits in the mount, with a 10 foot stick on top of that.

 

[SAR923]

I'm assuming you have a brick chimney. Take a pocket knife and see how much effort it takes to dig out the mortar between the bricks. If it comes out easy or in big chunks, I'd think twice about a chimney mount. If it's solid and hard, I think you're good to go for a 10 foot mast with an antenna weight of five pounds. You can go higher but you should be prepared to guy the mast once you get over 10 feet.