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Old 31-Aug-2016, 3:54 AM   #5
bobsgarage
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Beach Park IL
Posts: 318
Exclamation Chain link top rail.

Quote:
Originally Posted by wado66 View Post
I was looking a hardware store at chain link top rail poles.
I thought this may be a good option for mounting my antenna to. I can get them in diameters of 1.31 and 1.66.
I can get wall thickness of 14, 16, and 17 gauge and 10ft. or 20ft. lengths.
Has anyone else used these poles?
What are the pros and cons of using this for an antenna mast?
I currently use a 21' 1 3/8" SS-20 top rail. It is approx. .90" wall thickness. I don't know what that translates to in gauge.

However, in a 40 MPH wind it twisted enough to bother me. So, I hauled it back down and sleeved the inside with SCH 40 galvanized water pipe. It only comes in 10' sections, so I put a 12mm deep socket between the two sections (1/2 length inside each end for sleeving, mainly for alignment) welded them together, painted the welds and hammered my new 20' reinforcement inside of my 21' top rail. Every 4 feet or so, I drilled holes through the double wall pipe and thru-bolted it with 1/4-so bolts, w locknuts and reinstalled it to my main mast and rotator. It doesn't twist anymore.

The upper mast I described is heavy, especially with 2 antennas but I have rotator upper bearings to carry some the weight.

My main mast is 1 5/8 SS-40 industrial top rail. It is quite stout. It goes into a 10 foot tripod though and uses two sets of guy wires.

In your case, the SS-20 would be minimal. I also found out that 1 3/8 top rail comes in SS-40 but the fence company next door doesn't carry it. Maybe near you? Just don't use "tubing" it is thin.

I personally don't like those eave mounts because it is only as strong as the wood it attaches to. And, unless the mast goes to the ground and the eave mount is there for stability, you better keep your mast less than 10 feet.

I think you can go higher, just join two 21' Pipes together with sleeves all the way to the ground and use your eave mount as a stabilizer, like a wall mount. In this way, the entire weight of your assembly is transferred to the ground.

1' 5/8" SS-40 would be good for that and they have a outer sleeve for joining them or my favorite is the neck down of the last six inches where you stick one pipe into the other. Kind of like exhaust pipe, where a joining piece has the outside diameter reduced to slip inside the receiving piece but on a heavier duty level.

Sorry, I'm rambling on the details. I didn't ask earlier, how high that roof peak is AGL ?

Last edited by bobsgarage; 28-Mar-2020 at 3:40 PM.
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