How to: push-up masts

[wyojeepeer]

For my second post, I'm gonna ask a question that I don't know the answer to. I've only owned one pushup mast in my life. 50 years ago we stretched it out and locked it down, then tilted the antenna up.

Is there another way???

Now I'm alone, so if there is an easier way I'd like to find out before buying one.

Thanks, John.

 

[wyojeepeer]

This may seem simple and a no brainer.
How the heck do they work?
Do you stand the base, and then push up the rest?
For the hundreds of you who put them up and down all the time, gimme some help here.
Inquiring minds want to know......

Thanks, John.

 

[Crawdad]

Steel or fiberglass/carbon fiber?? How much antenna weight??

I can't imagine standing up a fully or mostly extended fiberglass push-up could be either fun or successful. They are usually extended from a vertical position. Steel might be a bit more doable that way but still doesn't sound easy.

My fiberglass push-up is mounted to the side of a deck with the bottom clamp about chest-high. Two sets of 4-rope guys about 10ft apart. Antenna weighs 6-1/4 lbs. Probably not your standard set-up but I like having the ability to lower the antenna whenever I like, severe weather/wind, tuning and maintenance. If the weather is really bad I can pull the antenna off the mast and stick it in the garage.

 

[Crawdad]

 

[wyojeepeer]

Steel or fiberglass/carbon fiber?? How much antenna weight??

Prolly be steel, if I get one.
Maximum antenna weight is a Sigma 5/8 Venom, plus LMR400 coax. 5 or 10 pounds??? ( I don't know if I'm strong enough to push/pull that much weight + pole)
I'd be about 7 or 8 feet off the ground, standing on the deck. I guess I would be pulling up. Maybe.
I currently have about 20 feet of regular mast, in 5 foot sections. I can wrestle about 10 feet of it with a stardusteresque type antenna and coax, but not easy. That's why I wondered how to use a push-up. I've never done it, nor seen it done.

Thanks, John.

 

[Crawdad]

I've never done a steel push-up like a Rohn, but I'm thinking they're not quite as easy to operate as fiberglass or carbon. Of course steel will take a lot more antenna. No spring chicken here either, so I catch your drift about install. I made mine as easy as possible for me to raise/lower it alone.

Good luck with it

7 3

 

[John David Trolinger]

It is hard. I have used the big Rohn push up masts for a long time like since the 1980s along with Rohn25 tower.

The last time that I pushed up the 20M Moxon I had help and that was a couple of years ago but the weather turned it into a pretzel so on the ground it stays. That was too big and heavy right from the start.

I am 62 and this spring will be my last cycle of the push up masts. Even with hitting the gym and being an serious athlete I find it hard to co-ordinate the mast, cable, and guys for even the simple 10M Moxon. The good news is that they are easy to take down.

Now as far as raising and lowering I have always stood up and secured the mast while collapsed. The two that I have up right now are roof access, I get on the roof and can raise / lower from there. The 10M antenna is up the highest, around 35 feet with one of the sections mostly unused still in the base.

Ask the neighbor for help or the local radio club. People like to help.

Fun times http://trolinger.com/david/ame25/tower.html

 

[Riverman]

Just looked through the pics of your antenna/tower project, John. I thought about doing all of that but decided just to attach a wire to my gutter instead.
Great job. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mudfoot]

I am 62 and this spring will be my last cycle of the push up masts.

I'll be 64 next month. My problem is my brain. It keeps telling me I'm in my 20's. My friends that help me, suffer from the same thing, which is why nothing gets completed correctly.

 

[wyojeepeer]

Ask the neighbor for help or the local radio club. People like to help.

Fun times http://trolinger.com/david/ame25/tower.html

Thanks for the Puppy pic's. Gotta luv it.
There is no radio club in this town. There is no other CB'er in this town of 700 people. Advantage: I never have bleedover.
The exception to that is some of the stations on the east coast, over a thousand miles away. Can you believe 5 channels either way?

Thanks, John.

 

[wyojeepeer]

FYI,
I ordered a small 22foot ez-up today.
It's got to be easier to push that straight up than trying to wrestle the antenna, coax, and 10 feet of mast on to the top of another piece of mast.
Now, to find some help to get my old temporary (30years!) antenna down.

Thanks, John.

PS: Mudfoot: I have decade on you, and a cancer patient. Rejoice in the friends you still have.

 

[Mudfoot]

FYI,
I ordered a small 22foot ez-up today.
It's got to be easier to push that straight up than trying to wrestle the antenna, coax, and 10 feet of mast on to the top of another piece of mast.
Now, to find some help to get my old temporary (30years!) antenna down.

Thanks, John.

PS: Mudfoot: I have decade on you, and a cancer patient. Rejoice in the friends you still have.

I do. We're all thinning out. Making the best of it I can. I miss the long QSO's. Trying to speed things up with my base.

 

[John David Trolinger]

FYI,
I ordered a small 22foot ez-up today.
It's got to be easier to push that straight up than trying to wrestle the antenna, coax, and 10 feet of mast on to the top of another piece of mast.
Now, to find some help to get my old temporary (30years!) antenna down.

Thanks, John.

PS: Mudfoot: I have decade on you, and a cancer patient. Rejoice in the friends you still have.

Okay keep us updated on that antenna work. Here is a pic from today of me putting the discone up 24 feet above the roof top. Previously I had a big 2 meter colinear antenna on the top but it did not see much use after I put up the satellite array.

This setup is on an old tripod that I was using as a test stand on the ground. I cleaned it up and painted it with zinc / cold galvanizing spray. The mast is one push up section and 5 ft section on top of that. I don't remember if it was advertised as the 22 ez-up but it is very similar.

The ladder is on some old carpet pieces to protect the roof and it is a big one. I put up the mast, leveled, grounded and then climbed up and attached the 20ga guy wires x four ways. Down on the roof I tightened up each pair and then watched the level as I tensioned them up a bit. Not too tight, just enough to stop sway and vibration.

Now that I am thinking about it I could put up a V-dipole! More antennas make for lots of options.

 

[John David Trolinger]

10M Moxon is back up and on the air about 40ft up. Nice workout getting that last few feet "pushed up" in the air.
A couple of weeks ago I had to take everything down including solar panels in order to get a new roof installed.
A trick that I learned a while back; Look straight up the mast when adjusting the guy wire tension. Nice and straight.
Working on getting the new aluminum flashing grounded tomorrow.

 

[Mudfoot]

Looks good. How's it working out for you?