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Portable RX-pedition antenna base
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Author:  Wilrobnson [ Wed Aug 29, 2007 5:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Portable RX-pedition antenna base
So, I finally found a use for all the left-over PVC pipe in our garage...Rather than buy a portable antenna mast and base, I made one.

Exhibit One-

The base I made from a bunch of PVC connectors, small pieces of pipe, 4 zipties and an odd piece of metal that was in our garage when we moved in...Oven rack? You could probably make a decent PVC park-on base mount without the rack-thingie, but I didn't trust the weight of the car on just the piping.

Image

Exhibit Two-

The base mast was about 5 feet tall, with a coupler to attach the antenna mast. Obviously, it wasn't stable enough at height, so I used yet another piece of PVC pipe, a 'T' join, and two bungees to stabilize it.

Image

Exhibit Three-

The finished product. With the forest of pipe in our garage, I decided on three different antenna mast sizes- 8'8", 7'5", and 4' even. The wind at a listening location should determine which mast is used. With the 7'5" mast and 5-ish foot base mast, this picture shows the tip at about 13'...ish.

Image

All in all, this is a nice little portable set-up for hilltop listening, offers a quick set-up and take-down time, and could be made new for around $20...Not including antenna.

You could, of course, run the antenna higher, but the PVC I was using was 1" Schedule 40 stuff, and has a tendency to flex. Add in any guess-timating the weight of the antenna and cable.

BTW, the antenna which will reside on this mast is just a basic RatShack ground plane, runs around $25. I could probably go cheaper by ziptying some odd, old magmount to the top, but it wouldn't do as hot without a good ground.

See what boredom does?
Author:  Jim [ Wed Aug 29, 2007 5:41 pm ]
Post subject: 
If I used the brolier pan from our oven to be the base for the
antenna I would probably be sleeping in my car for awhile. :lol:

Have you looked at painter poles? They come in many sizes and
telescope in and out. I use a couple and they work well on my
"Buddy Pole" HF portable antenna.

Great idea Wil. Do you think the extra height you get from this
gives a good increase in signal?
Author:  Wilrobnson [ Wed Aug 29, 2007 6:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
Jim wrote:
If I used the brolier pan from our oven to be the base for the antenna I would probably be sleeping in my car for awhile. :lol:


I'm not sure what that damn thing was.

Jim wrote:
Have you looked at painter poles? They come in many sizes and telescope in and out. I use a couple and they work well on my
"Buddy Pole" HF portable antenna.


No, this was a day project...I was cleaning the garage after my failed racetrack scanning attempt and was looking at all the pipe, wondering what I could do with them. I'll look into the painter poles though, thanks!

Jim wrote:
Do you think the extra height you get from this
gives a good increase in signal?


Depends on the location. I know mounting the antenna on it beats the little mag-mount one I usually use hands-down.

It really helps where I live, in the bottom of the Puyallup Valley at 35' elevation. On top of a hill or mountain, extra height may not make much of a difference.

Below is a short video of the same kind of rig, with a 6 foot mast, on top of my old Dodge Ramcharger, parked on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at around 9500'. I didn't notice much of a difference in that case, but then I had so much signal coming in, I didn't have much of a chance to test varying heights.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v114/ ... CN6003.flv
Author:  icom1020 [ Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:19 pm ]
Post subject: 
Are the zipties UV rated? just curious.
Author:  Wilrobnson [ Wed Aug 29, 2007 7:38 pm ]
Post subject: 
icom1020 wrote:
Are the zipties UV rated? just curious.


I doubt it. They're just standard 11" ones from Home Despot. This install isn't a permanent one.
Author:  Mark [ Wed Aug 29, 2007 9:13 pm ]
Post subject: 
You are totally lucky that you are already married. I can see your MAtch.com "I'm highly creative' see photo
Author:  Mark [ Wed Aug 29, 2007 11:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
and I am going to use the running the tire on something to hold it.

So today on the ferry the guy in front of me pops his trunk open and rolls out a rug thing-e that is the width of the trunk and hangs just lower than the bumper and is connected at the trunk mouth so he rolls it down and then rolls it up and in. I loved it - NO DIRTY PANTS - ever again. It was a good day.

Did I actually use 'trunk mouth' in a sentence. Don't I win something?
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