[Milsurplus] mast poles

[Bill MacLane]

Ray and the Group,
If the poles are what I think they are both are
camouflage support system poles.  These poles are part
of the no longer issued LCSS (Lightweight Camouflage
Support System)  They were issued in woodland (green)
plastic (fiberglass) and aluminum.  Both can be safely
used as antenna supports to 45 -- 50 ft.  There are
fellows out there who use these up to 80 and 90 feet,
but that is pushing the limit.  

I use these every Field Day and for portable
operation.  I would not erect the fiberglass ones for
a permanent installation. Fiberglass binders
deteriorate in sunlight.

There are many of the newer lightweight poles from
this series being sold CHEAP.  They crack, split and
break.
They have plastic collars on the female ends that are
worthless.  Others have no collar at all.  The poles
are fine if one reinforces the female end.  I used
1-1/4 inch sch. 80 PVC couplings turned to a press fit
and epoxied them to my poles and they worked fine.

Some of these kits come with fiberglass or plastic guy
rings.  These rings are made to steady cammo netting,
not guying a mast.  They will break.

I like the aluminum versions for all but deploying an
inverted-V since the center pole would be conductive
using aluminum.

I have more information on these, including FSN and
other identifiers, but to not bore you all I'll not
make this email any longer.  I will be posting it on
my  webpages sometime.

73,
Bill
AI4WM
--- WA5CAB at cs.com wrote:

> Ray,
> 
> Seems I recall someone asking a similar question on
> G503 and the answer given 
> was that the fiberglass poles are for camoflage
> netting or something like 
> that.
> 
> In a message dated 5/27/2008 9:36:08 AM Central
> Daylight Time, 
> rafantini at salisbury.edu writes: 
> > I went to the Howard County ham fest last Sunday,
> nothing like Dayton but a 
> > lot closer. Did see an ARC-5 receiver and a rack
> mount HP-608 for $10 each, 
> > along with the same broken PRC-174 that was at
> Timonium, looks a lot like a 
> > PRC-104 and am told that broken is there natural
> state.
> > But the question I have is about mast poles, the
> same company was at Dayton 
> > selling lots of aluminum and fiberglass mast that
> are OD green. Hams buy 
> > these things by the truck load and call them
> military mast but I have to wonder. 
> > Did the US military ever use fiberglass poles? And
> I thought that all the 
> > temporary mast I have seen like the AB-952 and the
> like were heavier 
> > construction. Is there a huge supply of third
> world substandard mast on the market or is 
> > this what the last of the mill spec kits were?
> > Ray Fantini KA3EKH
> > 
> 
> Robert Downs - Houston
> <http://www.wa5cab.com> (Web Store)
> MVPA 9480
> <wa5cab at cs.com> (Primary email)
> <wa5cab at comcast.net> (Backup email)
>    
> >
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73,
Bill
AI4WM