Heavy Mast Support

[Sector46]

Living in an HOA , I wanted to experiment with a mast
support system which was different than being in the
ground. I Used 3 - ULINE Plastic 15 Gallon drums.
a 2.75 in. Alum Pipe in the middle into 150 pounds
of cement. I'll be using DXE Heavy duty Fiberglass
masts which fit perfectly into the Drum pipe , which
is also supported at the top of the drum with 2x12.
The advantages are : It can easily be moved by rolling
.It can also be taken down very quickly by tilting over
to work on antenna or hide the antenna(s)..Holes
drilled into the side of drums at cement level will
release any rain water . Everything including all
antennas will be spray painted Army Camo Green
to blend with tree foliage.

 

[OkieBoyKJ5JFG]

That should work, at least up to a point. The taller the mast is, the more leverage it will have when it "whips" in the wind. There's some point at which it will be enough to tip the barrel over. You might consider some sort of crossed planks attached to the bottom to expand the footprint.

I'll be interested to see how it works for you. Keep us posted.

 

[Sector46]

That should work, at least up to a point. The taller the mast is, the more leverage it will have when it "whips" in the wind. There's some point at which it will be enough to tip the barrel over. You might consider some sort of crossed planks attached to the bottom to expand the footprint.

I'll be interested to see how it works for you. Keep us posted.

mast is only going up 30 feet and ants will be fairly
light weight , Mast wont be going anywhere . It Takes some umph
to tilt it over.

 

[KF0NYL]

What type of antenna(s) are you planning on using?

A vertical antenna won't have near the wind load. Yagi, hex beam, and cob web antennas will definitely increase the wind load on the mast.

You could aways get some dark colored 1/8" guy rope to help support the mast. Some 3mm Mastrant guy rope pretty much disappears when in the air. I have some yellow 3mm Mastrant guy rope and that's hard to see from a distance.

 

[Sector46]

What type of antenna(s) are you planning on using?

A vertical antenna won't have near the wind load. Yagi, hex beam, and cob web antennas will definitely increase the wind load on the mast.

You could aways get some dark colored 1/8" guy rope to help support the mast. Some 3mm Mastrant guy rope pretty much disappears when in the air. I have some yellow 3mm Mastrant guy rope and that's hard to see from a distance.

 

[Sector46]

One mast will have a 12 meter hamstick dipole
horiz, and a small verticle mobile hustler with
only a single coil , have many coils . Another mast
will have a larsen 2 meter mobile ant on top
and end fed box below, with wire across the yard
66 feet to the other 3rd mast . So will be very light
wind load if any. No need for any rope.

 

[prcguy]

I've done some similar stuff and once the concrete is set you can drill into the bottom and put anchors in then add some legs for more stability. Three legs made of Unistrut about 4dt long each will really make it stable with a tall mast and I've put up 43ft aluminum verticals this way and they are very stable in high winds.

 

[rgchristy]

I think that it's a great idea, but I can't understand why a HOA would rather have 15 gallon drums sitting on top of the ground, rather than in the ground.

Will the spray paint on the antenna affect reception?

I yield to the experts...

 

[Sector46]

It really has nothing to do with the HOA , the Ground here
is like cement below the grass. It is impossible to dig with
even a pic-axe and shovel.. I don't know why, I tried once
and couldn't get further than half a foot , so this is a great
easy relief of getting 3 or 4 antenna up . , One will be (pic)
a small Double discone cut for 225 Mz + Up for milair
on the CRS365 , on my 3rd one . Great Analog .
I've Spray painted antennas , and Glove painted towers
for years..Back to my first 2M Ringo Ranger in the 70s , Paint
protects the alum from corrosion , has no ill effect as long
as ya dont goop any connectivity areas of metal.. no effect..
The discone will be on a 2.5 ft 4 in plexiglass standoff...

 

[rgchristy]

It really has nothing to do with the HOA , the Ground here
is like cement below the grass. It is impossible to dig with
even a pic-axe and shovel.. I don't know why, I tried once
and couldn't get further than half a foot , so this is a great
easy relief of getting 3 or 4 antenna up . , One will be (pic)
a small Double discone cut for 225 Mz + Up for milair
on the CRS365 , on my 3rd one . Great Analog .
I've Spray painted antennas , and Glove painted towers
for years..Back to my first 2M Ringo Ranger in the 70s , Paint
protects the alum from corrosion , has no ill effect as long
as ya dont goop any connectivity areas of metal.. no effect..
The discone will be on a 2.5 ft 4 in plexiglass standoff...

Sorry, I thought that it had to do with HOA regulations.

Thanks for the info about the paint.

 

[K6GBW]

What I did is use some Quickcrete to cement an 8' fence post into the ground. Then I used some heavy-duty pipe to pipe clamps to attach a military mast pole. That sucker is really not coming down! When we move, I'll just take an angle grinder and cut the pole off below ground and cover it up and it's like it was never there.