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Antenna Mast Project

RiffRaff

Deputy Director
Staff member
Donator
Just bought the first three 10' sections of what is going to be a 60' mast for an antenna array at my house. Will actually probably turn out to be 57' since 3' will be buried in concrete at the base. Going to also anchor it to the peak of my barn roof at 20', so shouldn't need any guy wires.

First step is to get it mounted to the roof anchors and sitting on the ground so I can get it perfectly plumb and mark where the hole needs to be dug. Then I'll dig it out and set the base in concrete so it can set. Probably won't add the next 30' until spring.

First things to get mounted will be the wind meter for my weather station, TV antennae pointed at Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati, and four wireless CCTV cameras that will give me a 360 degree view of the horizon. I'll add the radio antennae later.

Pictures of the project will be posted as I make progress.
 
Just bought the first three 10' sections of what is going to be a 60' mast for an antenna array at my house. Will actually probably turn out to be 57' since 3' will be buried in concrete at the base. Going to also anchor it to the peak of my barn roof at 20', so shouldn't need any guy wires.

First step is to get it mounted to the roof anchors and sitting on the ground so I can get it perfectly plumb and mark where the hole needs to be dug. Then I'll dig it out and set the base in concrete so it can set. Probably won't add the next 30' until spring.

First things to get mounted will be the wind meter for my weather station, TV antennae pointed at Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati, and four wireless CCTV cameras that will give me a 360 degree view of the horizon. I'll add the radio antennae later.

Pictures of the project will be posted as I make progress.
Good for you. I have looked at the collapsible kind of antennas for years due to where I live (MD/DC suburbs), but this sounds great. Best of luck.
 
Don't forget to bond that mast to the electrical service ground of the building it's nearest, with some 4awg copper wire. A lightning strike could take the potential difference of anything nearby to thousands of volts, between eachother, without being properly bondes and grounded.
 
The first 20' of my communications tower went up this morning. I'll have to rent a boom lift for the rest of it. But at least it's started.
cameringo_20230702_115049 small.jpg
 
Next weekend I'm hoping I can use our pressure washer and a wet-vac as a poor-man's hydrovac and see if I can dig out a three foot deep hole for the mast to go into. Then I can add another 10' section of mast without a boom lift and mix up some concrete to pour in the hole to anchor the bottom of the mast. That will give me a 27' mast for now.
My electrician is coming out to help me make sure it is properly grounded against lightning strikes before I put up any more sections.
 
Did you get this finished
No. Started to hydrovac the hole and ran into too many roots. Going to have to either dig it by hand or hire a professional hydrovac service.
 
No. Started to hydrovac the hole and ran into too many roots. Going to have to either dig it by hand or hire a professional hydrovac service.
Done something similar and dug a much larger hole that needed and used a reciprocating saw with a brush cutting blade to get through the tree roots as I went down. Once I got a couple of feet down got past the tree roots and was able to finish it off. My advice is try that first and you might be surprised at how easy it is to actually do. Takes a little longer but if retired or not working then you have the time for the simpler approach.
 
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