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push poles

4

4600turbo

Active Member
Aug 27, 2006
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I would like to put up a base station and I've been looking for the easiest way to do this,of course.

I found some fiberglass push poles that I can afford, but I was wondering if I should use metal instead.

Would a metal push pole be better than fiberglass for any reason.

Will my station perform better with a metal push pole or will the fiberglass one be just fine?
 

Your station won't perform any different from one to the other. Take a look at the weight of the two different push ups and also the strength. Depending on your antenna and guying plans, that may help shape your decision.
 
For an alternative that worked nicely for me, look at galvanized hurricane fence top-rail.

I used 20' of it to stick a vertical up on my roof. It's about $10 per 10' section here at Home Depot.

I took the slip joint and drilled it while coupled and stuck #10 sheet metal screws through the holes.

My mounting bracketed the base of the bottom section and the middle at the joint and the antenna is rock solid. If you went free standing with it, I would recommend guying at at least each 20' mark. You can tie three guys through stainless hose clamps on the pole.

If I had to guess, guyed twice, these things should easily hold 40'. The top ten foot section on mine barely moves at all in 40mph winds.
 
ditto...

I never saw a fiberglass push up pole

If anything fiberglass should be better in that
will cause less interference with your SWR's

Beyond that i see little or no difference

If you want
try going to your local radioshack...
ask the manager if he has any old pushup poles that are not currant models
is likely he will be more then glad to give it to you for free
(that is how i got more then a few push up poles as well as 5 and 10 ft masts
 
I've found a fiberglass one that will go 43'. It starts out at 2" ends as 3/4" and it only weighs 16 pounds.

I also thought of putting up the galvanized top rail as a pole I've go some that are 21' in length, but didn't think it would be that sturdy. I didn't want to do any guying ,since my property is small.

JK Rubicon I live in New Mexico.
 
SR385 said:
For an alternative that worked nicely for me, look at galvanized hurricane fence top-rail.

I used 20' of it to stick a vertical up on my roof. It's about $10 per 10' section here at Home Depot.

I took the slip joint and drilled it while coupled and stuck #10 sheet metal screws through the holes.

My mounting bracketed the base of the bottom section and the middle at the joint and the antenna is rock solid. If you went free standing with it, I would recommend guying at at least each 20' mark. You can tie three guys through stainless hose clamps on the pole.

If I had to guess, guyed twice, these things should easily hold 40'. The top ten foot section on mine barely moves at all in 40mph winds.
Click to expand...


I did the same thing for a Maco V58 antenna. Cheap and effective.
 
I like those fiberglass push up Masts

has me thinking
i doubt i can be lucky enough to get away with 43 ft but maybe the 32 ft version
(likely would need 3 sets of guying though)

Something to think about now that spring is nearly here
(means good time to work on antenna systems)
 
If I got the 43ft mast. would guying it at 15' mark work, or should I guy the top section.

Also if it is made of fiberglass should I set it in cement or on another post.

Was thinking of putting up a Maco 103. Since the pole and the antenna only weigh 16 pounds apiece. Can I put the rotor on the floor and turn both the antenna and the mast, or should I put the rotor up near the antenna. This would add more weight and definitely need guying.

What kind of rotor will I need and where is the best place to get one.

Also would 32' mast be just as effective. How much difference do you think the TX/RX be with the smaller mast. 20' would be real easy to do.
 
The idea for any push-up pole or tower, is to get the antenna higher. Then, once it's as high as you can get it, to keep it there. The 'keeping it there' part, especially with a push-up pole, means you have to guy the thing so that it doesn't wobble or flex. That usually means more guying than just one set. Ideally, at each 'joint' of the pole. Doesn't matter what the pole is made from, steel, fiberglass, wood, whatever.
For a 40 foot pole, one set of guys at the 15 feet level just means that it's gonna flex/bend at a point higher than that. So, about 25 feet of bendy pipe waving around in the wind. Get ready to do some more guying, or watch it carefully, cuz it -WILL- fall. The more wind-area the antenna on the top has, the more sideways force applied to the pole, and the more likely it will be to fall... sooner. A set of guys at every joint (+/- about 10-15 feet) is just very cheap insurance, if it's done correctly.
Not what you want to hear, but much better than the alternative.
- 'Doc
 
W5LZ said:
The idea for any push-up pole or tower, is to get the antenna higher. Then, once it's as high as you can get it, to keep it there. The 'keeping it there' part, especially with a push-up pole, means you have to guy the thing so that it doesn't wobble or flex. That usually means more guying than just one set. Ideally, at each 'joint' of the pole. Doesn't matter what the pole is made from, steel, fiberglass, wood, whatever.
For a 40 foot pole, one set of guys at the 15 feet level just means that it's gonna flex/bend at a point higher than that. So, about 25 feet of bendy pipe waving around in the wind. Get ready to do some more guying, or watch it carefully, cuz it -WILL- fall. The more wind-area the antenna on the top has, the more sideways force applied to the pole, and the more likely it will be to fall... sooner. A set of guys at every joint (+/- about 10-15 feet) is just very cheap insurance, if it's done correctly.
Not what you want to hear, but much better than the alternative.
- 'Doc
Click to expand...


Thanks. Unless I bring it down everytime I'm not using it. It would be simple to do that with these push up poles, since they have and easy way to put up and down; What a pain that would be.

I might have to look into something that would go up free standing.

Thanks for all the info.
 
Any of you guys think I should run a ground wire to the antenna with this fiberglass pole and would 8 gauge wire be enough?
 

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