Standoff for a 80-20m dipole ?...

[Oatmeal]

I'm going to be using a metal pipe mast and looking for a idea to make a standoff out of....looking at going to a 80-20m dipole soon, looking to see what all I'm going to need to do, since I dont have any tree's in the yard to use...

I made a standoff for the 40m dipole, but think the heats getting to it a little, like to make one out of something stronger than PVC pipe...just not sure what I'd need......looking for some ideas, and thanks in advance...

 

[fourstringburn]

Fiberglass push up poles work well but need to be guyed or can be attached to your house especially at heights of 45 ft. With a fiberglass mast like these, no standoff is required.

Here is what I use.

http://www.mgs4u.com/fiberglass-push-up-mast.htm

 

[Oatmeal]

Cool, I've got a 22ft long piece of drill pipe thats about 2.5" ID, looking to maybe put another pipe inside it and try getting some height, not sure what to use yet...
Love to have a couple sections of tower, that be nice...

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

A standoff is something used to keep something like feedline away from a mast or separate two things to keep them from touching. Are you simply talking about a mast to hold the end of the dipole up?

 

[Oatmeal]

CK, yes it is to be used to keep a dipole from touching the metal mast pipe.....

 

[wavrider]

uni strut can be purchased at lowes or home depot or any electrical distributor.

U clamp to the pole and put a pulley at the end, dacron rope to raise and lower the antenna.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

CK, yes it is to be used to keep a dipole from touching the metal mast pipe.....

So you are talking about another mast at the far end of the antenna then. The dipole would have an insulator on each end and then rope to tie it off to a mast or other support on each end. Wasn't sure what you meant by keeping the antenna from touching the metal mast pipe. I had visions of a vertical dipole strung from a pipe with standoffs keeping it spaced from the pipe.

 

[Oatmeal]

You all who has a tree in the yard you can use, should consider yourself lucky, lol...love to have that option here, sure would make things a lot easier...

CK, I used some weedeater string and tied the center connector up on the standoff on the 40m dipole,and taped it up so it wouldn't come loose but haven't really had the time to try it out and see what it's going to do since I put it up 2 weeks ago...

But the swr is running a 1.3 on 7.2 and 7.3...thats on a rat shack meter by the way..

 

[DainBramage]

... I used some weedeater string and tied the center connector up on the standoff on the 40m dipole,and taped it up ...

I just gotta ask,............ ya got any pics?

 

[Oatmeal]

You don't think weedeater strings works, does a great, lol..

 

[Moleculo]

You don't think weedeater strings works, does a great, lol..

I used a piece of aluminum angle bracket with a solid fiberglass stick as a standoff for my dipole on the push-up mast. I'll take a picture of it when I get home and post it so you can see how I did it.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

You don't think weedeater strings works, does a great, lol..

An insulator is an insulator so yeah weedeater string will work but it wouldn't be my first choice. LOL I use a plastic egg insulator on the ends of all my wire antennas between the antenna wire and the rope I use to tie off the ends but only because I have a small bucket of them.

 

[2RT307]

You all who has a tree in the yard you can use, should consider yourself lucky, lol...love to have that option here, sure would make things a lot easier...

CK, I used some weedeater string and tied the center connector up on the standoff on the 40m dipole,and taped it up so it wouldn't come loose but haven't really had the time to try it out and see what it's going to do since I put it up 2 weeks ago...

But the swr is running a 1.3 on 7.2 and 7.3...thats on a rat shack meter by the way..

That weedeater string tends to get quite brittle over time. It will eventually break.

Sounds lime your SWR is good. 40 was pretty good last night, and horrible today!

73,
Brett

 

[DainBramage]

You don't think weedeater strings works, does a great, lol..

actually, I was tryin to picture the (duct?) tape

 

[Oatmeal]

CK, I used 1/2" PVC pipe for my bones and the center conn......yea swr is running a 1.3 on 40m...

This was my first dipole, just learning as I go long as it works Ill leave it .....and do better on the next one...