Quote:
Originally Posted by Stereocraig
Tripelo.
Do you make your own clamps for the tower verticals, or is there something commercially available.
I have used clamps from my drum rack, but don't trust them for durability.
A picture would be nice, if you're able to provide one.
|
Sorry, don't have any photos that I know of. Presently, I am not at the main tower site to take any photos.
Mostly use recycled antenna manufacturer clamps (the ones that come with antennas).
However, a pair of conduit clamps back-to-back makes a pretty good mast-to-mast or mast-to-tower leg clamp for light masts with light antennas. For mast sizes up to about 1 & 3/8 inches, the clamp size, not sure but think, is labeled 1 inch.
This labeling results from pipes being dimensioned according to inside diameter whereas mostly antenna installations are involving outer diameters (tubing convention).
This photo, a generic conduit clamp from the web, represents the type of clamp discussed.
Look for heavy duty clamps, Lowes and Home Depot here don't seem to have the heavier grades. Probably electrical supply or old fashioned hardware store might be good places to find heavy clamps.
Bolt two clamps together, through the hole shown in the left of the image above. A 1/2 inch long, 5/16 inch bolt with two thick washers and a nut works well to hold two clamps back-to-back. If the bolt is much longer than 1/2 inch it will interfere with the masts.
This arrangement has an advantage in that it allows two pipes to be connected regardless or their orientation (horizontal or vertical or some angle).
Almost any mounting using these clamps requires four clamps (two pair). But maybe in a heavier installation more clamps could suffice.