A Field-Friendly Guy System for Telescoping Fiberglass Masts
By John Cumming, VE3JC
The ARS Sojourner
During our Bicycle expedition to Dayton in May, we stopped in for breakfast at the home of Bill Kelsey, N8ET. Bill enthusiastically burdened us down with a variety of supplies from his "Kanga US" warehouse, including a DK9SQ mast. The mast was bungee-corded on my bicycle trailer [foto1, and travelled very well on the remainder of the trip. I could see that the telescoping mast would become "standard gear" for subsequent bicycle camping QRP expeditions.

But I immediately began to wonder how I could effectively guy the mast in varied "field" locations. I wanted guys which would allow quick setup, and would permit the mast to be lowered for antenna adjustments while the guy system remained intact. I also wanted to be able to fasten the guys to the m
ast in a manner which would not harm or "gum up" the mast surface. That ruled out a duct-tape solution!

\par \tab Strolling through the Dayton fleamarket several days after acquiring the mast, I came across a vendor selling two-sided velcro. I had found many uses for 1/2" wide 2-sided velcro straps over the years (especially for keeping light weight RG174 coax feedline and wire antennas neatly organized in the backpack ), but this stuff was a foot wide! I bought a two-foot length, certain that I would find uses for it. I suspect craft and fabric shops would be good bets to locate this velcro material.

Four pieces of two-sided velcro are used in the guy system—one 4"X7", and three 1"X5". Punch a hole and install an eyelet 1/2" in from each end of the three small pieces. A 12" length of 1/8" braided nylon rope is inserted through the eyelets and knotted at each end - make sure the knots are on the smooth, fuzzier side of the velcro. 12' of thin nylon cord are then tied to the midpoint of each of the three rope loops, and the guy system, as shown , is ready for use.

After raising the fiberglass mast, wrap the large piece of velcro around the "8 foot" junction of two mast sections. Wrap the velcro tightly, (rough side in) so the bottom of the velcro is flush with the junction. The lip of the lower mast section will prevent the velcro ring from sliding down the mast. The three velcro/rope guys are then attached to the velcro ring, stacked and offset 120 degrees from each other. (You will see that it is necessary to slide the loops onto the mast from the bottom, unless you remembered to drop them on before raising the mast!).

Lean the mast against a tree, or lie it on the ground while you anchor two of the guys. It is then easy to move the mast into position, and anchor the third guy while keeping it under tension.

I have been quite delighted with the performance of this guying system. It is "rock solid" even in windy conditions, and setup, teardown, and storage is a breeze. When the mast is lowered for antenna adjustment, the velcro guy ring holds its shape, so the guys tighten up automatically as the mast is raised again.


If you've found good field use for your collapsible mast, I'm sure this guy system will add to your fun. Good luck in the hunt for two-sided velcro!

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John Cumming, VE3JC, an avid cyclist, QRP operator and outdoorsman, is a contributing editor to The ARS Sojourner living in London, Ontario, Canada.