TALL ORDERS: Using Collapsible Fiberglass Masts

By James Varner, AE6N
Special to The ARS Sojourner

July 2005

When operating portable in the Southwest sometimes it is difficult to find a convenient tree to suspend your antenna. Using a collapsible pole has come to my rescue on several occasions. Using these poles can be awkward to erect, guy, and connect an antenna. Here are some things that can be done to remove the awkwardness of erecting a fiberglass pole.

First, the masts needs to be secured at the base. This can be done by driving a screwdriver or similar object into the ground. Next unscrew the bottom cap off the mast and slide it over the screwdriver. .



This will keep the base from slipping around and may even hold the mast in a vertical position until guyed.

To guy the mast, take a PVC T (3/4 inch for a 20 ft mast) and cut the top half . Drill a hole in each end to secure the guy lines and slip the PVC over the mast as shown in the photo.



The next step is securing the antenna to the mast. Take a small section of PVC tubing and drill holes in the middle and at the ends. The hole in the center will be fairly small. Secure your antenna to the PVC by inserting the mast in the center hole. This will work for a variety of antennas.



The antenna shown in the photo is a dipole fed with a half-wave, 300 ohm line which does not need a tuner.

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James Varner, AE6N, is an avid QRPer, outdoorsman and field operator living in Lake Havasu City, AZ.