Home Brew Tilt Over Antenna Mast Repair

Рет қаралды 28,247

6 жыл бұрын

You are watching me replace a bent pole on my home-brew tilt-over antenna mast for ham radio. Thanks for watching!!!
This mast is constructed from electrical conduit, chain link fence top-rail, and some quickrete all found at Home Depot or Lowes. Total cost for this was about $60 for all materials except the antenna of course.

Пікірлер: 79

@jonturner4879 Жыл бұрын

Hard hat and eye protection. Thanks for sharing.

@djfatstax2400 4 жыл бұрын

Finally got to see how the poles go together. Thanks

@rgnichols567 Жыл бұрын

I built a mast, and used a toprail piece for the last segment. The wind bent it all the way over. Luckily I was able to salvage the antenna. I replaced it with the thicker wall conduit. Pipe is cheap compared to an antenna, so I won't use top rail any more for a permanent mast. Good vid

@3DOutdoors 6 жыл бұрын

Good job, biggest TV antenna that I have ever seen.

@SevenFortyOne 6 жыл бұрын

that is a ham radio antenna that's why its so big.

@led8541 6 жыл бұрын

Great video

@oldchevy4x4 6 жыл бұрын

A job well done... Thumb's up!

@SevenFortyOne 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks bud!

@MauriatOttolink 6 жыл бұрын

Makes life a lot easier if you hold the power drill at the correct angle!

@SiCkDiAbLo 6 жыл бұрын

Looks good,,,

@vinnieromano1336 6 жыл бұрын

Pretty slick. I’m going to be doing this myself but thinking about adding guyed wires to keep from being bent if we get high winds.

@xszl 4 жыл бұрын

In high winds, something is gonna bend, if it be the mast or the antenna itself. Another idea s to use a more flexible mast, without wires so it can swish in the wind.

@veggiepowered 3 жыл бұрын

I'am Your Newest Subscriber Great Videos

@SevenFortyOne 3 жыл бұрын

Cool! Thanks for joining in!

@miguelsalami 4 жыл бұрын

Drilling all those holes through the bottom sections will definitely weaken them. I would have used large U-Bolt clamps to secure the bottom sections. They also make things called guy wires that help support the mast during high wind loads. 😎

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

Guy wires won't work here because of the terrain. Besides, they add cost and complexity and aren't really necessary. The u clams are a good idea but the holes seen to have a negligible effect on the strength of the pipes. If I ever do this over I might use hose clamps or u bolt clams like you suggested just so I don't need to drill.

@enricovezzali1548 3 жыл бұрын

Un lavoro fatto per tribolare, ad è fatto alla rovescia il fulcro rotante deve essere creato nella parte superiore così fa un po da bilanciere e bloccato nella parte sotto. Oh, io la vedo così poi ognuno tribolare come più gli piace.👍👍👍

@MoTown44240 6 жыл бұрын

The fence pipe rail is not designed for the type of stress exerted on it by winds. Also, the weight at the top of the pipes, your antenna, is enough to catch the wind that bent your pipe. Why you have not considered guy ropes, minimum of three, below the antenna is puzzling. You should expect to replace the pipe again when the wind blows hard in the future.

@SevenFortyOne 6 жыл бұрын

I am fully aware that top rail is not designed for this type of application. I had considered guy wires but the added complexity due to uneven terrain at the site of the mast rendered them impractical to implement. In other words, the cost and complexity of adding them outweighs the benefit. The top rail poles last about 2 years in this application which is also roughly the maintenance interval for this type of antenna. The top rail poles can be thought of as consumables since they are relatively inexpensive, and as you saw in the video, easy to replace. In other words, they can be replaced every time the antenna is serviced and the cost to do so over the life span of this mast is equal to or less than the cost and maintenance of dealing with guy wires. Call it redneck engineering if you'd like but its just another way to skin the cat.

@WW5RM 4 жыл бұрын

@@SevenFortyOne tie the guy wires to those trees! Move them up the tree so they are all the same height / angle. Plus you can get them above head high instead of anchoring them in the ground. I bet 3 would keep you from having to fix it again.

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

The trees move in the wind. Guy wires tied to them would cause more problem than they would solve. Also, I only have trees on 3 ish sides, the guys would be uneven which is also a problem. guys are not needed for this application

@WW5RM 4 жыл бұрын

@@SevenFortyOne lmfao! Yeah that's obviously way to hard for you to figure out how to make that work! No guy wires needed on this even though it bends everytime a strong wind blows! Have fun fixing it on a regular basis and have a nice day!

@buckeye5704 5 жыл бұрын

I think I'm going to go with a little larger diameter pipe and use a hand winch on mine, but you look like you're good to go for another couple years. I'm seriously considering the HiGain multi-band vertical so guys and the winch will be needed for mine. Hope I can get a chance to work you when I get back to Maine and set the shack up. 73

@SevenFortyOne 5 жыл бұрын

Sounds like the setup you are planning will work great for that antenna. Let me know when you get set up and we'll try an on air contact. 73 and good luck!

@buckeye5704 5 жыл бұрын

@@SevenFortyOne Will do! Can't wait.

@davidhefner5668 4 жыл бұрын

I was looking at some 2" conduit today. I noticed a 2" trailer hitch ball fits nicely inside for a ground pivot point. The ball goes at the bottom of the mast will set inside an upside down trailer hitch tongue section secured to the ground. A ball and joint connection. The lever locks it in. I don't think I will have any problems leaning it up. Experimental at this point.

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

great idea!

@rgnichols567 Жыл бұрын

I think I'm going to give that a try. Going to build a mast that will swing down, and put a beam on it. 73s from the cactus patch....the sidewinder

@Radiowild 6 жыл бұрын

Pretty slick stuff..... I cheated....Found 4' military aluminum poles at a hamfest and hung my G5RV Jr. across my backyard.

@NotMuchHere 2 жыл бұрын

hey guy, once you placed the middle bolt you could have slid the hose clap down to the lower bolt holes .... if you wanted ... or needed!

@AvocaSingleTrack 2 жыл бұрын

That is EMT . It is made to be easily bent and flexible. Make the same thing out of a less flexible pipe. All that pipe is very easily bendable. Good idea though

@DynoDieselWagon 2 жыл бұрын

Do you ground them/ or is it a sacrificial lamb 🤔

@buzzsah 6 жыл бұрын

Is that the Sigma 5/8 10-12 meters?

@SevenFortyOne 6 жыл бұрын

The modern equivalent - a Maco v58...but same idea. It tunes up and works great from 20 - 10 meters. I used to do a lot of 10 meter work but I've backed off on that the last few years.

@theaveragejoestinkeringand4407 4 жыл бұрын

I’m going to do something similar. How long is your coax run.

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

About 100 feet

@donalfinn4205 3 жыл бұрын

I think the damage was done when you first raised it up. Fencing pipe is too light for that load. Nice simple idea but it needs heavier pipe imo.

@SevenFortyOne 3 жыл бұрын

The pipe is fine for what it costs. The piece I replaced has been in place since this video was published and is still straight despite having been through numerous storms. You can spend more for heavier pipe for sure or use guy wires but this config works for my needs.

@joaomarcosafonso 6 жыл бұрын

i beleve that's antenna is a zero-five antennas rigth?

@RaiderDonnie 4 жыл бұрын

joao marcos It’s a Maco v5/8.

@philipchandler330 4 жыл бұрын

Great job replacing pole, what kind of antenna on top of your mast?

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

Maco v58 cb antenna

@RaiderDonnie 4 жыл бұрын

SevenFortyOne It’s a great antenna! I have the same one. It has served me well for many years!

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

I use mine on 20 most of the time....it was cheap and does the job.

@RaiderDonnie 4 жыл бұрын

SevenFortyOne Once this virus is under control I am hoping to take and pass my general. Once that happens I will definitely try this antenna on 20m. Thank you for the great videos! I hope you and your family are staying healthy during this time. 73, KC3EZP

@gvvq-pi5ml 6 жыл бұрын

Hi just one comment you look as if you have plenty of room there you could put up a lattice tower......Fred in Uk.

@SevenFortyOne 6 жыл бұрын

I have the room but lack the funds for that type of tower...someday maybe i'll put one up....

@MarkVieta 2 жыл бұрын

Did you not use the 1" electrical conduit on the inner part because of cost, weight, or some other reason?

@SevenFortyOne 2 жыл бұрын

The top rails are swaged to fit nicely together. The conduit is not.

@MarkVieta 2 жыл бұрын

@@SevenFortyOne Do you have a clamp holding them together or just gravity? Thanks.

@SevenFortyOne 2 жыл бұрын

I show how they are attached in the video...just using nuts and bolts

@davidpatrick1813 4 жыл бұрын

What band is it you have atop?

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

It's a cb antenna that I use for 20 -10 meters

@dirtbagtrooper Жыл бұрын

Good job dude!! Nice KISS method = keep it simple stupid. I'll make mine a copy of yours. Although at 73 yrs. old, cough, I'll add a standard boat trailer winch too mine, for the heavy lifting!!! KO4RTU

@williampeacock9473 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Rob, I am going to put up the same thing as you did. That will be for my 6meter three ELEMENT Beam. I got a lot of good ideas for you. 73 AE4OY William Peacock EM-81UF p.s. Maybe we can work each other one more time.

@SevenFortyOne 2 жыл бұрын

This may not hold up for an antenna like that. My antenna doesn't have much side load because it's vertical. A beam will add side loads and may cause the pipes to bend in the wind

@ralph9987 4 жыл бұрын

What’s the antenna?

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

Maco v58 cb antenna that I use on 20 and 10 meters

@chrisbgolfpro 4 жыл бұрын

did you ever throw away that aluminum ladder? ha

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

Of course not, it still has lots of life left in it

@davidhefner5668 4 жыл бұрын

I went to our local zoning department today. They told me I don't need a permit. I think I should get that in writing.

@stevenlawhon3695 4 жыл бұрын

Guy it

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

Can't due to terrain and obstacles

@stevenlawhon3695 4 жыл бұрын

got it

@MrRayWinger 4 жыл бұрын

Hello, if you would have used a better grade of pipe for the support poles , you wouldn't be doing this after a storm goes through. Cheap isn't always best. You just needed to do some homework before you spent your time and money on that project. You should have used 1.25 inch galvanized water pipe. If the wind can blow down trees with roots , YOUR material was way too thin and weak to have been used in th e first place. Doing the job right to start with is, a lot cheaper than replacing things when you have a storm. You may waan t to consider putting guy lines on the top about five feet.down fron the base of the antenna for added support.

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын

I think you missed the point a little bit here. I agree, cheaper is not always better. I'm fully aware this is "cheap" construction and I'm perfectly OK with it. I don't mind doing maintenance on this periodically and I consider the rails as consumable items. I didn't explain it well in the video but the intent of this when I built it was to use cheap materials I had on hand at the time. This has been up for over 5 years now and the only time I've ever had to replace the pole was what I showed here. I also didn't explain in the video that guying isn't practical here due to the terrain so I opted not to add any to this support. It also would have added cost and complication that would have been out of scope to the build. If this video inspired you to build something similar in your own way that fits your needs and preference then I've achieved part of what I wanted to accomplish when I created this video. Although this support may not be up to YOUR standards, it works for me.

@davidhefner5668 4 жыл бұрын

Looks like somewhere in Ohio.

@SevenFortyOne 4 жыл бұрын