Portable PVC Conduit Antenna Mast

Build this portable antenna mast for use in temporary or emergency communications. Possible applications include setting up temporary wifi for an event or as part of a portable emergency communications station for Amatuer Radio Emergency Services (ARES).

Step 1: Supplies

(3) 10' x 1 1/4" PVC conduit
(2) 1 1/4" PVC caps
(3) Screw anchors
(3) Eye bolts
100' x 3/16" nylon rope
Landscape timber spike

Comments

[tomreedtoon]

I'm trying to put up a small TV antenna (with rotator) on a house. The roof is so bad that other alternatives (like an old DirecTV dish mount or attaching a mast to the chimney) is impossible. As a cheap alternative to buying a pro mast, I was thinking of using two chain-link-fence top rails, 10 feet long each, to make a 20 foot mast, putting the bottom end in concrete, then bolting the top to the edge of the roof with a brace. These top rails have a "swedged end" so they fit into each other, which I'd probably reinforce with some kind of bolt-on metal collar.

Does this sound reasonable to you guys? This is the URL for the top rail I was thinking of using:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100322532/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

[Grimling]

Hay , Where i live , there isn't cable tv , so we have to do it with those old antennas , but all our antennas really suck ... , i was wondering if anyone knows of with kind of iron the antennas are made , so i can get one and make our somewhat bigger and better :p , are there other things i must look at with this project ? Thx , A dude who lives to far away .

[j79jon]

Hi..I am a Ham WB5NWT but for a Diy good TV antenna and I am useing them ...Google SINGLE GRAY HOVERMAN...and go from there...I have built almost all of the Hoverman antennas and they are ffrom 6dbi up to something like 16 dbi.

I use # 8 wire for the antenna elements. Put one end in a vice and with drill twist the wire until it gets stiff. Easy to build.

73s & GL..John SE Texas

[static]

Well you should be thinking antenna "system" and maybe that is what you are thinking. A quality antenna, a rotator if desired stations are wide spread on the compass at your location. Quality feed live. An amplifier, placed at the antenna end of the feed line. Antennas are made out of aluminium. If the plan is to build hannel specific yagis you may save, but otherwise you may be better off buying an off the shelf log VHF periodic/UHF corner reflector antenna. Make sure all connections are terminated with a TV or a 75 terminating resistor. In the end the sad fact may be you may to far into the fringe.

[RedSevenOne]

Aluminum is your best bet, If you have a a local HVAC contractor around you might find him/her friendly enough to 'tour' the scrap pile. in their yard.

[theprofessor]

bigger would do you no good, the longer the driven element, the lower the frequency at which it resonates, most TV is vhf/uhf so smaller antenna, it is possible to get an antenna with more 'gain' however this number is misleading with antenna, your best solution is to get your existing antenna higher in the air.

[imarunner2]

For a directional antenna, like most TV antennas, you'd probably want to come up with a way to guy the mast in such a way that would allow you to turn the antenna for best reception. Perhaps a ring large enough to slip over the small part of the mast yet small enough to not slip over the flared end. Then you may have a problem keeping it from turning in the wind...hmmm.

[radiorental]

Aluminium, if you're bored and you're in to computers I HIGHLY recommend searching youtube for 'IT Crowd' a ferkin hilarious show from the UK.

[Countryboy7239]

Youtube.com has a lot of interesting shows, especially old ones. The problem is, they're all in ten minute sections. Hulu.com has some really good movies on it. Plus you could always subscribe to Netflix and just order movies.

[Dr.Bill]

KB1LZL asks; Are you a Ham?

[imarunner2]

Yes. KB9LNS

[maccafromoz]

Self contained mast. Get a length of water pipe fit a rotor at the top/one end of the pipe have a square plate welded to the pie just below the rotor with four holes to pass wire rope through hold wire ropes secure with wire rope clamps the suit your rope. half way down the length of pipe weld another larger square steel plate oriented the same as the top one put a groove where the wire rope passe at each rope. Weld another fixed square plate at the bottom fitting a shackle to the rope holes with a turn buckle loop the rope from the top of the mast through the turnbuckle hook and fasten the wire rope with clamps to suit make sure all clamps are tight then tension each cable evenly and your mast will not bend or buckle, no matter what the diameter you choose. anchor the pipe at the bottom or a place where it will not topple

[Wyle_E]

If you're using four five-foot sections, you only need two ten-foot sections plus a coupling to add a socket to one of the five-footers. Of course, PVC tubing is so handy that that you'll probably find a use for that last five feet. You could, for instance, split a short length lengthwise to reinforce the section that you drill for the eyebolts.

[cheordinario]

nice. i`d like to build the 2 meteres antenna you have on the top. can you post an instructable for the antenna?

[wperry1]

This is a great instructable. I wonder if you couldn't get around the problem of having to remove the eye bolts by attaching something around the outside of the pipe rather than screwing into it like a u-bolt or hose clamp.

[radiorental]

simply little dog clips on the end of the guy ropes would work. Nice instructable, well documented breaker breaker rubber ducky ten four.

[imarunner2]

I actually thought of the dog clips...spring clips I believe they are called. I even bought some but I couldn't find them when I was ready to take pictures so I left them out of the Instructable. Great minds think alike, huh?

[radiorental]

alternatively there is a sliding knot you can use, or look to tent guy ropes for a little plastic slider. Would be better than dogclips now that I think about it. Great minds do think alike.. and fools seldom differ (o;

[imarunner2]

Oh, I was thinking to use the dog clips at the eye bolt end for fast connect and disconnect from the mast. The tautline hitch I'm using on the anchor end is a sliding knot commonly used to adjust the tension on tent ropes.

[maxlock]

You could also use a simple clove hitch or better still a rolling hitch, both easy to tie :)

[zabolyx]

I'd use the 'dog' clips as radiorental suggested and a set of those adjusters .... wit the center piece that you turn to adjust the length... and it has to eye bolts, one in either end... I can't, for the life of me, remeber what they are called... for minor adjustments... Maybe even having a level attatched... or a plumb line to check for proper vertical setting.... Also for greater heights a second set of guy wires yes... but also consider making the mast from 3 sizes of PVC and use couplers to adjust to the next size down as the mast gets higher... start at 3in... coupled down to a 2in and ending with 1in section for the top...say 20 feet for each... with a set of guy wires at the couplers. This would also allow for the pipes to be stored within each other and still save some space...

[imarunner2]

I like the idea of using different diameter sections and storing them inside one another. I may use that idea to go 10 feet higher. A second set of guys may not even be necessary with larger diameter PVC at the base. I'll have to try it. Turnbuckles I believe is the term you're looking for. I have them on the cables guying my backyard 50' tower. You need them with steel cable but the tautline hitch works very well with nylon rope.

[zabolyx]

I'd use the 'dog' clips as radiorental suggested and a set of those adjusters .... wit the center piece that you turn to adjust the length... and it has to eye bolts, one in either end... I can't, for the life of me, remeber what they are called... for minor adjustments... Maybe even having a level attatched... or a plumb line to check for proper vertical setting.... Also for greater heights a second set of guy wires yes... but also consider making the mast from 3 sizes of PVC and use couplers to adjust to the next size down as the mast gets higher... start at 3in... coupled down to a 2in and ending with 1in section for the top...say 20 feet for each... with a set of guy wires at the couplers.