[ADXA] fiberglass poles

Sun Sep 22 21:03:34 EDT 2024

My experience with spiderbeam poles is that they are trouble to guy and will break in the wind even if just used to hold an inverted L.
Here, I can get a backhoe and operator who will dig two or three tower bases for $200. I dug my last tower base by asking a trackhoe operator working across the street to do it for $100. You should be able to find someone, they’re common in Arkansas. Concrete trucks are also available too, and surprisingly cheaper than buying and mixing yourself. 
Lots better than temporary solutions.
FUV

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On Sunday, September 22, 2024, 8:10 AM, Jussi Eloranta <eloranta at aa6kj.hopto.org> wrote:

 Hi Stan et al., 

One step at a time. I have plenty of space (40 acres mostly pasture), so that is not an issue. I can't do everything at once, so I am starting by putting up low band antennas. But since there seems to be no fiberglass alternatives, I will get the longer one from apiderbeam and not extend it fully. 

Jussi (aa6kj) 

Sep 22, 2024 6:14:45 AM Stan Stockton <wa5rtg at gmail.com>:

   Jussi,   
   If all you want is to make one or more 80m verticals, the difference cannot be detected between a vertical wire 70 feet long and a 50 foot vertical wire with two or four (preferably as horizontal as you can get them) wires for top loading.   
    Also, I have no idea how much property you have, what it looks like or what your budget is, but for now trees are your friend.  Until you decide how you are going to accomplish what you want to do, if you have enough property and some trees, there would be nothing wrong with a couple of V beams that would be better on two or three bands than what about 90% of all contesters and  DXers have.   
   If you actually do all of what you said you wanted to do, you will have to have someone you can call to come fix things if they break.  Rotating towers are good because the rotator is at the base of the tower.  It is possible to do everything in such a way that it would be maintenance free for decades but the odds of that happening are not great.   
   Stan   

 On Sep 21, 2024, at 9:09 PM, Jussi Eloranta <eloranta at aa6kj.hopto.org> wrote: 

Hi Stan, 

Thanks. I saw the dxe pole but it is too short. Yes, I agree that rohn 25 would work best but, well, I am in the middle of nowhere (literally) and do not have any contacts for digging, pouring concrete etc. I have a ground auger that I have used for digging holes for my current masts but it is not well suited for bigger projects. Also managing those 80lb concrete mix bags is too much for my back (but managed to pour enough concrete for my current masts). So for the time being, I have to stick to solutions that I can do on my own (until I find people here who have the right machinery). Thus fiberglass it is for now. Also Joel had a hinge system that looked like a very nice idea for a metal pole. But again pulling a metal pole up on my own is not so easy. I already had quite some trouble with the Al telescope mast (14.5m) that has my five band spiderberam wire yagi at the top. Apparently strength and age are inversely proportional to each other :-( 

Also, if a fiberglass pole breaks, I just put a new one in its place. They can also be taken down with little effort if a storm is coming. There is a 28m pole from spiderbeam that is available but it would be an overkill ($ and construction). These are pretty easy to install - just "walk them up" because they are not very heavy. 

Jussi (aa6kj) 

Sep 21, 2024 8:44:38 PM Stan Stockton <wa5rtg at gmail.com>:

   Forgot to paste the link to the pole I was taking about    

|  |
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|    Free Shipping on Most Orders Over $99 at DX Engineering   dxengineering.com   |

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 On Sep 21, 2024, at 8:37 PM, Stan Stockton <wa5rtg at gmail.com> wrote: 

  Jussi, 

This 46 foot one from DX Engineering is about as big as they come.  There are 7 sections beginning with 3” at the bottom and down 1/4” in diameter on each section going up.  7.5 feet per section x 7 sections (they claim 46 feet). Anyway the top is 1.5 in and I suppose if you have them guyed properly you might use 1.25, 1.00 and .75” to get you close to a quarter wavelength.  I had four 25G towers with one set of guys for my four square.  

I think I would put up 100 feet of 25G with a little top loading, shunt feed it on 160 and run ropes off the top to have a 4 Square on 80m. A significant number of radials (50-100 of them) under each wire and all that tied in with radials under the shunt fed tower for 160 would make for a good setup.  You may or may not have to do something to detune that 100 foot tower when you are on 80m. 

In my opinion this is much better than messing with many levels of guy ropes on 60 + foot fiberglass poles that probably would not survive the first 40 mph wind with a little ice on the guy ropes. 

73…Stan, K5GO 

 On Sep 21, 2024, at 7:52 PM, Jussi Eloranta <eloranta at aa6kj.hopto.org> wrote: 

 Hi, 

 Does anyone know a good source for approx. 20m fiberglass telescope poles? A 22m pole used to be available from spiderbeam in Germany but now their web page states that available sometime in 2025 :-( This would be for 80m quarter wave vertical(s). 

 Jussi 

 -- 

 If you knew the truth, you'd be banned for knowing it. 

 Jussi Eloranta (AA6KJ) 

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