Reference Station: A simple 20-foot mast (

Part of the Reference Station series: How to build a simple 20-foot mast to hold up wire antennas. You can create a mast from this reference design or adapt as you see fit.
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[@JT-py9lv]

If you slide a 3" piece of bicycle inner tube over the robe before using the hose clamp you'll save yourself a headache with the rope not being cut by the sharp edge of the hose clamp due to wind pulling on the mast.

[@JimN5QL]

Dave, the poles are 17 gauge galvanized steel not aluminum and they are cheaper at Lowes! At the bottom of the mast I drove a 1in steel angle iron in the ground and then used hose clamps to secure the pole. I don't use a pulley I just use and eye Bolt. I don't use a loop for the raising of the antenna instead I just tied the Rope on the end of the antenna and through the I bolt at the top and then let the end fall to the ground. I have another eye bolt down about waist level that I put it through and then I can use a Trucker's Hitch to pull the antenna up and tight. When the deer hit your Pole and bent it I think you could have just cut that part off and swap it with the pole on the top. Thanks for this series of videos seems like everybody else is enjoying them also!

[@jameyevans29]

Nice video. I drilled quarter inch holes and put 1/4 20 bolts through mine to keep it together.

[@blueharley2]

I wish everything in ham radio was explained in such complete detail as this.

[@slappomatthew]

this should have been a 3 minute video. but I agree a lot of other videos are far too shallow in depth.

[@tomw5vlt119]

Dave, you’re amazing... well on your way to really having a reference station series for the world to refer to... for the first time ever... for those who are trying to sort out and connect the dots from all the disassociated, non-comprehensive, non-detailed works out there in videos, books, and everything else... So needed, so appreciated. Incredible.

[@bransonbrendan226]

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[@gunnarfabian9670]

@Branson Brendan instablaster =)

[@bransonbrendan226]

@Gunnar Fabian I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site thru google and I'm in the hacking process atm. I see it takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@bransonbrendan226]

@Gunnar Fabian It worked and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy! Thank you so much you saved my account :D

[@gunnarfabian9670]

@Branson Brendan no problem :)

[@colorlessgreenenergy7091]

Thanks, Dave, for yet another complete ref. design. An alternative to 2x heavy, 10-foot aluminum REBARs might be a single 6-meter, large-diameter (3-4 inches), white PVP drain-pipe. One can extend its life by wrapping its it with 1-2 layers of UV-reflective tape, ie, if PVC can be damaged by strong, sunlight. (As a temporary mast for a lightweight Inverted-V, at an earlier home, we wrapped 3x 4-meter conduits together with duct-tape, & lashed it to a "Hills hoist" (an all-metal Australian brand of outdoor clothes-drying rack), but - as ours tilts a bit - the duct-tape be- gan to tear, in sections. It still holds up the Inv'd-V, but it looks less tidy than it could. In this design, both the Hills hoist & the Inv'd-V arms support the mast. The 'V-arms sag, but the resulting slack seems to have pre- cluded any breaks in the legs. (We might have tried our design, using a 6-meter drain-pipe, but the height 'hoist's clothes-lines, above the ground, making it hard to push the longer drain-pipe into position for lashing to the 'hoist's vertical central post.)

[@graywolf1911]

This is a great way for hams new and old to have a mast to hold up their wire antennas. I am lucky, as I have trees to use, but if I did not, this is a great way go, nice job Dave as usual.

[@ryanv7075]

Congrats on 250! 🎊🎈🎉

[@BartVanAllen]

Great basic info - well done sir. In my case I already had a tripod roof mount for the old TV antenna, so put one 10' top rail on the 5' mast in the roof tripod which is on roof peak at about 25 feet up, so the OCF feed is there with the 2m/70cm dual band is on top of that. No guying required at 15' total length, but remember that it must be grounded for static protection when roof mounted. Their may be those that this method would fit their situations requirements better.

[@VE3IPS]

Dave, the build quality of this project is nothing short of amazing. Keep up the fantastic work.

[@davecasler]

Thanks, will do!

[@brentjohnson6654]

Thanks for another great video, Dave. I just purchased ropes and pulleys. My Elmer and I are putting up an inverted V on my Rohn 25G Tower tomorrow. The pulley will be mounted to a angled aluminum with holes. He is supplying me with an HF rig and we plan to have a QSO when he is in Central America in a few weeks. We went to 3 hardware stores to find a long enough rope (150feet or so). This will be my first chance to get on HF after passing my General. I love antenna theory. Makes my brain work. Haha. 73 KI5HXM

[@Pirahnaxxx]

Enjoying the Reference Series very much. Thank you. 73s

[@stridermt2k]

As always THANK YOU! This isn't food for thought this is a feast for the brain!

[@joewilson2258]

You can use plastic tubing on the hose clamps thus making the clamps stay in place better .

[@TwoAcreHomestead]

I did a similar mast back in January. (video on my channel) Just some random tips... 1.25 inch PVC will fit perfectly over the top rails. I used some of this to provide rigidity at the junction, and to add about another 6 feet of height at the top. I used a $1 Eye Ring instead of a pulley, Instead of using Guy Wires, I used a standard fence post cemented into the ground about 3 feet deep. A bolt was used to keep the remainder of the mast above ground level so I didn't loose any height. This has been more than strong enough to keep the mast standing. My total cost was about $50. Thanks for the video, 73 K4RZM

[@b.maguire3506]

Incredible Resource You Offer! TNX for this!

[@tomw5vlt119]

For those like me in ground so hard you can’t drive stakes (Texas limestone and calichi soil) - plan to follow Dave’s method with some modifications. Going to jackhammer 12”x12” x 24”D holes to set guy line stakes in concrete. The jackhammer goes through the limestone/calichi quite well.. Will take a length of the top rail over to the Home Depot plumbing aisle and find an appropriate size of PVC pipe that the top rail will hopefully seat into like a sleeve. Learned this from flagpole installers... going to dig a 12”x12”x24”D foundation hole to set a 3’ length of pvc into, set in concrete, with the pvc extending 1’ above grade. Going to fill 2’ of the pvc pipe with mortar (approx to “slightly above grade” when set in foundation). When the concrete is set/hard, can slide the mast top rail into the pvc pipe for a snug fit (still using guy wires), and so mast can be easily removed in the future. When everything is done, going to drill a small weep hole through both pvc and mast, to allow Southern humidity condensation to drain out of mast.

[@timbacchus]

I have four 20 foot masts from Radio Shack which were 10feet in length and do not have any guys for my 80 meter horizontal loop for 40 years now. No problem. Back then the prices I believe was about what this one is now for the fence posts. Use of a pulley makes all the difference in the word for work.

[@brianveitenheimer4492]

Thanks for this. Looking forward to the enclosed Ubitx kit review.

[@MrEtmedic]

The term you were looking for was "swag", where one poled fits in another. Often swaged poles is the term. Great vid.

[@bubbajeph]

I tried to use top rail and it bent before I could get the pole vertical. I ended up buying two 35' flag poles. Added 5' of pvc pipe to the top. Added a nylon pulley to each. Allowing for flexing of the poles in a breeze. I purchased the Ultimax DXtreme 124' end fed antenna. I do not do contesting but have made a few 'across the pond' contacts. 73's KD4MAN

[@qumqats]

Great project! Great video! Only thing that I'd change is the rope. DACRON! You start out with a temporary build, and it ends up being permanent. Or at least until it falls down catastrophically due to the rope decaying. Yes, you need to examine it periodically, even dacron may fail. You can't always tell when or where a failure might happen. I'd strongly suggest only using black dacron or equivalent rope on anything that's up more than days. It's quite amazing how quickly some ropes turn to dust in strong sunlight. Thanks for the video, keep it up! :)

[@chrishorne2740]

David Casler Those 10' fence top-rail sections can be clamped solidly at the joint using large diameter tractor trailer mirror mount antenna brackets. The hole for the antenna hardware makes for a great pull point every 10 feet. I wrap wide metal tape around the male end until it is 'fitted' to the female end of the next section I then hang 30' from the eaves of the garage to level them off and then clamp them up with guy rings above each joint. When carefully pulled up you'll find a nice straight rigid mast. I use these brackets for mounting mounting antennas to chain link fence top-rails while portable and for testing purposes as well...73's KA1-XK

[@JohnSmith-bb2np]

The 21' top rail given to me was bought from Lowes and required support above the tailgate to bring it home on top of my pickup. It was 2' longer than the truck, bumper to bumper. Whew.

[@mrradio2187]

Dave, have you examined the 'Mr Long Arm' telescopic painter's pole from Home Depot? (Store SKU #764523) Made of rigid aluminum it's comprised of 3 telescopic pieces that can extend to 23 feet. It can fit snugly inside a piece of cyclone fence top rail section which I bury in 3 feet into the ground to act as a support base. Rigid and lightweight at around $40 each I have 3 of them currently in use. What I like about them most is the ability to quickly lower the sections during high winds or effect changes in antenna design easily.

[@Coyotethumper5]

I was looking at those as well but was wondering if using aluminum was ok or does it have to be non conducive. I’m putting up a 40-6 ocfd but if he is using steel I guess it’s ok ?

[@kd5you1]

I have one as well, and I'm planning to use wood painter's pole handles as extensions to get the antenna away from the aluminum. Some stores like Ace Hardware sell a package of three wood handles that connect together with acme threaded joints to form a 3 foot handle. I want to try one first to see how well the antenna performs near the top of the Mr. Longarm. Some of the shorter painter poles are all fiberglass except for the threaded tip.

[@mrradio2187]

@@kd5you1 Good idea plus they are relatively lightweight with minimal wind drag. I'll have to give them a try .

[@bobbader4789]

How’s that working?

[@tylersutcliffe871]

I've used those, they are a but floppy

[@K4MJV]

I did this but used 3 sections. Guyed it about 1/2 way up the second section and it is pretty solid. I have a 9 element 2 meter yagi and a 2 meter j-pole on it and it works great.

[@tomw5vlt119]

K4MJV I’m considering 2.5 sections... about what I can get away with, with homeowners assoc.

[@tomKZ8TOM]

Awesome resource! I think this is what every new ham operator is wanting to know, see & do. Are these “Reference Station” new shack setup videos in a playlist? If so please pin to the top. This series is better than any out there. Solid gold!

[@markjensen9453]

Planning to use this for portable operation, holding up the feedpoint of an inverted V antenna, with a 10-foot length of PVC pipe with two guy ropes supporting each end.

[@darinhitchings7104]

Great video! I'll make a donation soon just for this one

[@Dennis-sb7gp]

Thanks Dave

[@prestonshute7243]

Wish your videos were around in the mid 70’s when I got my Novice ticket. 73 wd4dda

[@brucepinto1118]

Thanks for the great idea. I'm going to put one up soon. By the way, I found at Home Depot a 1-3/8 in. x 6 in. Galvanized Metal Chain Link Top Rail Sleeve SKU#1005654026 for less than $3 That I think will significantly strengthen the coupling between the two top rails.

[@allenmiddendorff2068]

Thank You!

[@kn4qzw367]

I’ve used the pulleys you mentioned and if the rope is too small sometimes it will get wedged between the wheel and the housing. Which means you have to take everything down to fix it. The rope you have looks big enough to prevent this from happening.

[@davecasler]

I've had that same problem before too.

[@alainmichaud8992]

When I setup my antenna, I had no idea about the fence tubing. Instead I bought some PVC water pipe. There are two sizes where one will slide into the other. I believe one is 1 1/2 inch and the other one is 2 inch. The overlap segment can be one foot long for a total height of 23 feet. One hose clamp was used to prevent the small pipe from sliding too far into the large pipe. In order to attach the guy wires at the top, I used a end cap in witch I drilled a hole. The roof of my house is kind of flat. Without mentioning too many details I can just say that this pole is mounted on the roof and two of the four guy wires are part of the delta loop antenna (The third segment lays directly on the roof since this is a receiving antenna only). Now this contraption has spent one (real Canadian) winter outside with no damage. I believe the reason for this is the light weight of a structure makes it much less vulnerable to strong winds.

[@joshhayes9570]

Very good informative video, I enjoy ham radio and I’m fairly new to HF ham radio, I was wondering about the best way to have a taller tower we use the same chain link fence tops and the wind knocked over one of our segments because we had 3, 10 foot segments connected on a 10 foot balcony so it was a total of about 40 feet, now we lost 10 feet and we have about 30 feet and the cell phone signal is not as good because we have a cell phone signal booster and the 10 foot shortened height lost some boosted signal, I’m not sure what the best way is to mount an antenna tower taller?

[@radioopbowhunter5748]

I would suggest keeping the end of the wire element away from mast..years ago I used radio shack mast for an inverted v and it was fine business...not so on the ends..grounded mast to. I knew better, just didn't think it be that significant.. wrong again lol..thanks Dave 73

[@glenmartin2437]

Watched this again. A good review. Thanks, Dave. N0QFT

[@kristinabliss]

Steel reinforced rebar caps. We got this! :D

[@curtmyersk2cwm477]

Thanks Dave, Curt WA2JSG NJ

[@larryspiewak3731]

Dave, you want to drive the worm clamps with a cordless nut driver. 😉 Much better on our arthritic wrists. Also the judicial use of heat shrinking tubing on the ends of the rope and where the rope is held by the clamps, helps to give extra abrasion resistance.

[@AlvinMcManus]

Thanks!

[@CharlieForbes524]

You can also consider using large diameter reinforced electrical conduit. To fit the sections together are metal collars that stay on set screws. I think you can get 2 or 3 inch pipe? If you got some sort of metal pipe anchored in cement, Two people might be able to slid it in. You might be able to figure a way to make a tilt base for it. Drilling a hole in the conduit at the base, with a smooth gromet you could run steel cable or durable cord inside the pipe. A small boat winch could be used on that I suppose. If you had a metal ring or collar around the outside of the pole that the cable would pull up, multiple wire antennas could be anchored.

[@AlvinMcManus]

This is a very good instructional video very complete. I would point out that you might want to cap the top of the pole to, again keep rain water out. These poles can rust, just no quickly. I also wonder if you wanted a 30ft pole could you stack three poles with a mid-point set of rope guys. It is also possible to use a tv antenna guy wire set for stability. Could you use paracord? I have a few hundred feet of the 1000lb test stuff.

[@joecraft4409]

I use the Mr. LongArm Pro-Lok 8.4-ft to 23.2-ft Telescoping Threaded Extension Pole from Lowes. $40.00. works great for me with a Comet on top.

[@jacobw446]

You can help reduce the corrosion by spray painting the pulley with clearcoat spray paint.

[@tomw5vlt119]

QUESTION on placement. Dave, you’re saying 20’ H is ok for 40m ... ideally (correct?) for the shortest run would want the mast near the house ... so what pros/cons on placement for those with single story, or two story, and/or metal roofs - any guidance on having mast near the house that affects performance? ... can you offer guidance for proximity to house structures like mentioned... vs running long runs of feed line to get away from the house/roof? I had a club elmer (well intentioned, but questionable knowledge based on other unrelated advice) tell me having a mast come right up to the house and metal roof was great because the roof acts like a ground plane... but doesn’t that “reset” the elevation to the roof level by having the mast directly adjacent to the exterior wall running up and beyond the roof level?

[@thomasmelton7073]

I put a piece of schedule 40, 4' section to add strength between the two. Drilled and bolted together!

[@fridayjoefriday]

Instead of pulleys, I used D-Rings. Just using what I have in the junk bucket. I also used deck cleat and a clamp, for para cord tie off, again what was in the bucket. Now that I'm a HOA and Mobile home park I'm thinking NVIS for a 10-11 meter dipole.

[@bjen2005]

Those metal stakes (SKU 545-259) are concrete stakes or use for forming when building. Used thousands of them.

[@quaildogusa]

For a base I'm going to use a pedestal that they sell to hold patio umbrellas. I'm going to try this without guy wires to hold an MFJ-2220. To hole the two poles together I plan to slot the female end then clamp them together with hose clamps.

[@andrewkirkpatrick3019]

Hi Dave great video 👍do you think an inverted dipole can be used as guys or even if not steel cable for counter poise/guys thanks 2i0gpm

[@kittykat999a]

Like! Nice video. Thank you.

[@joecraft4409]

At 12:26, we call them "curb stakes" they have nail holes to drive that nails into the concrete forms to hold them while it dries.

[@georgealbertacanadaeh1038]

hello Dave, very clever I like it. The question I have is you used Robe instead of galvanized wire for support and was wondering why? Thanks in advance, George

[@LarsLarsen77]

Using really big lag bolts instead of rebar stakes will save you a ton of time removing them. You can just use an impact driver and unscrew them from the ground.

[@feltusfeicit]

Dave, I'm thinking of raising my inverted V a little (currently on the roof, supported by about 14' of aluminum, so maybe 25' from ground), and I keep coming back to this concept. My thought is to reinforce the area of the roof where the mast will rest, and my question is whether I can get away with using steel wire/rope to guy the mast, so that I don't have to worry about the Arizona sun destroying the support of a 20' steel pipe. I guess my curiosity is about how significant coupling might be. The dipole is a fan 40/20/10, and I was already thinking of adding an EFHW for 80 over the 40m elements (or perpendicular to them). My roof is limiting as the 40m currently only fits in one orientation, diagonally across the roof, which gives it a NE/SW orientation, amusingly making some parts of California harder to hear than the East Coast a lot of the time. Thank you for your mastery, KK7BCO

[@AlvinMcManus]

It would always be best to assemble the joint so that the smaller end points up to reduce the amount of rain that leaks in and starts the rust process and that joint will rust over time. You could also wrap with a coax waterproofing tape to eliminate all moisture intrusion. NOTE: the concrete stakes are located in the concrete materials area. I have a bunch on hand from my days building concrete structures and of course a stake/rebar cap is essential to avoid impalement injury. (OSHA rules)

[@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire]

I've wondered about welding up my own 3-legged tower from #3 (3/8") rebar... It comes in 20 ft sections and costs $6.25 at Home Depot for each 20-ft piece... Properly guyed, it might even be climbable... Living near the Texas Gulf Coast, it would need to be guyed well in case a hurricane decides to visit...

[@cfisupply]

Just for info... The same chain link fence top rail is also available in a single 20' length. While it's not as "portable"... It does make it nice having it in one solid piece. I bought some 20' sections to hold up vertical antennas.

[@davecasler]

Thanks for the info!

[@cfisupply]

www.lowes.com/pd/Common-x-x-21-ft-Actual-x-x-21-ft-Galvanized-Steel-Chain-Link-Fence-Top-Rail/1000005090

[@zapoman]

Hi Dave Could the mast induce some rf parasitic currents , due to aluminium ? Would nt be necessary to insert one or more isolated pieces along?

[@matthewmiller6068]

Can you provide more information about where you find those steaks? What department or what it's near? My Home Depot the first thing they do when you ask where to find stuff is search the website, if it doesn't come up they say the don't have it...

[@susans527]

Excellent information illustrated with excellent visuals. Can the galvanized steel hold paint for camouflage?

[@davecasler]

I believe so

[@walteredwards544]

Thank You.. I thought that a metal mask might adversely effect the RX and TX qualities of the antenna? I definitely have a lot more to learn

[@stewartrv]

It's (approximately) 90 degrees to the dipole, which the coax braid is also this is why it doesn't have much effect. Just like a metal boom on a yagi.

[@billloveless6869]

I have a Diamond V-2000. Is this too heavy for this antenna mast? Also, I live in a hilly portion of PA. Am I correct in thinking that the antenna, for best use, should be on the side that is closet to the desired station? Thanks.

[@JayN4GO]

I wonder how stable this would be with a yaesu rotor and a 2m quad. Using a 4x4 post as a tilt over

[@jeremyphillips135]

Those stakes are concrete form stakes, find them in the concrete area of HD, by the Quikcrete, etc.

[@colorlessgreenenergy7091]

I wonder if a strong coupler (that would hold pipes [or fense-posts] of uniform size together) would have precluded the damage caused by the deer? (I've thought of transforming 2x IKEA single beds into a bunk-bed, using 4x such couplers...?)

[@codynelson2839]

Woohoo! First like!!! Thanks Dave love the video and may be building this mast now!!!

[@Texas1FlyBoy]

Trying to find the steel stakes? Of course, I couldn't find it by SKU or by 24-in length on Home Dep;ot's site, BUT I *did* find the 18-inch version online. Selecting that one, I could see that it is in Aisle 19, Bay 016 in my local store. The 24-inch is probably right next to the 18-inch. :)

[@wushock92]

The 24s should in the same display near the rebar

[@keithnelson765]

What are your thoughts on using a weight or spring to hold tension on the antenna wire? Think it would adjust for mast sway and rope stretch automatically? Thanks for detail you put into this excellent how to.

[@AlvinMcManus]

I don't know what Dave thinks, but it sounds to me like a great idea. You can but springs of various sizes and diameters so you could match your needs. I just wouldn't put too much tension on the wire.

[@johnnorris7815]

I learned a lot. Do you have advice on how to use this system to hold up the center of an inverted vee. It seems the pulley will need a stand off to keep it away from the pipe. Thanks! Johnny

[@davecasler]

Try it first with just a rope loop to hold up the center of the antenna. If you don't like the results, attach a wooden standoff to the center support.

[@rafkend1422]

Thanks David. Could this set up be adapted to a EFHW vertical antenna and what needs to be considered in addition?

[@davecasler]

I tried once putting up 3 poles end-to-end, but it was too wiggly. So just stuck with 2.

[@matthewmiller6068]

is 20ft good enough? Any ideas for a 30-40ft portable mast?

[@uptoit7259]

DX Commander Fiberglass pole set - (British but ships to USA)

[@groundzero.]

it was referenced as free standing in the video at 2:13 may want to change that being you use guy lines. i have used 2 top rail for a mast with a bracket at my soffit and no guy lines 70cm directional and no issues. works well and cheap. 73 ke0hms

[@ggggg4030]

Does the metal pole holding up the center of an inverted V affect propagation? O

[@Brass735]

Suggestion: Hose clamp a flag halyard cleat to wrap the antenna rope at the base of the mast. Maintaining tautness of the rope while trying to hose clamp it to the mast, while not impossible, could prove cussedly challenging.

[@AB1Vampire]

I think this is your best video. n2eye

[@pstgh]

Long story, but I have a question which is sort of tangential to this subject... I'm mounting a vertical UHF antenna on top of a couple of these galvanized top rails and I'm curious if you believe it is important to grind off the galvanized coating in spots which are being used to connect the antenna mount and/or the grounding material so as to make a real steel metal connection? I'm getting different opinions on this question. Thx!

[@davecasler]

No! First, the zinc coating conducts electricity better than the underlying steel. Second, the zinc coating protects the steel from corrosion (rust). So the zinc coating is your friend!

[@edwilliams968]

Nice Video Dave. I wish you were at Quartzfest about 5 years ago. There was a ham doing a presentation on Mesh Net. He had a com trailer that he deployed a mast next to. He had several interesting things that he did to that mast and how he anchored it, guyed it and routed his coax that I wish I could convey to you to shout out to the world. There were quite a few steps but they were very little in each one but as a whole amazing. I asked him so many questions that he added a seminar. It was beyond the scope of this video but it would be appreciated to those of us that deploy mast in general.

[@edwilliams968]

DE WB5ORT

[@stewartrv]

If either end will be a tree or other object that might move in the wind I suggest that rather than attaching both ends in a fixed way like this you instead attach one end to a appropriate weighted object (concrete block or something) so that it's off the ground and is free to move up and down. This keeps some tension on the antenna but allows it to move with the tree branch or whatever rather than breaking or stretching the antenna wire.

[@davecasler]

A moving tree moves quite erratically, so you may have to experiment quite a bit to keep one up.

[@stewartrv]

@@davecasler true but I am thinking about if attaching to a big tree not a small branch or a bush.

[@demorestautosport]

Thank you for sharing knowledge Dave! This is a great help! - KE8QPI

[@timbacchus]

Home Depot web site will tell you what isle and bin all of these parts will be on so you don't have to hunt a person down.

[@Mystik-Kitty]

the phone app works awesome too!

[@wushock92]

You can use their BOPIS system too. Assemble your cart, pay for it and they will have your order ready to pick up at the store in a couple of hours.

[@ronwatkins5775]

What about using one of those fiberglass masts, such as spiderbeam?

[@davecasler]

Stiffness. The mast has to be stiff so it can withstand significant lateral force without bending and the guys need to hold it up straight.

[@cliftonhead9665]

I sorry I still cant see what the end product is or how you going to finish the antenna, do you have a photo of the antenna going up, totally lost.

[@kurtwarner4585]

Dave: Please use a very contrasting color for your drawning notes as red is very difficult to see. Thanks for all of your tips! Best of 73! Kurt - KA7ZDD

[@davecasler]

Noted!

[@bubbajeph]

I tried using the fence top rail. It failed. I ended up going to Harbor Freight and got their flag pole instead. Cost a little more but no guide wires.

[@davecasler]

The Harbor Freight flag pole is also only 20' high.

[@johnmoll1068]

Use the extra clamps to secure guy rope to the guy stakes.

[@K6TJO]

I’m confused, is it galvanized steel or aluminum?

[@joewilson2258]

Galvanized steel

[@JohnSmith-bb2np]

Yea he makes my eye twitch every time he says aluminum when he's talking about galvanized steel. But he's Dave, and he gets a pass with me. For now.😉

[@CraigFogus]

Ah good, I was just going to point this out. I wanted to check the comments before being redundant.

[@johng7rwf419]

Congratulations on your quarter century video...

[@davecasler]

Thank you!

[@jeffdyer2109]

For about the same money you can buy a 40 ft teliscopic fiberglass pole. This would be much better for 40 meters.

[@CraigFogus]

Where do you get this from?

[@jeffdyer2109]

@@CraigFogus Google spiderbeam they have several fiberglass poles.

[@CraigFogus]

@@jeffdyer2109 Thanks!

[@ziptie2104]

aluminum?????fence rails are steel????

[@Mystik-Kitty]

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! de KL4QZ

[@renejrgensen9865]

Quit disappointing. The reference antenna should require minimal work and the foot print should be small. Preferably you should be able to buy it without doing any work your self. That is what you said in an earlier video. The footprint of your chosen antenna fills a small urban garden totally up. And you do have a construction project. I have decided to buy a Diamond BB-7V. It is cheap. All bands. No radials. No traps. No supporting ropes. 4 screws in the wall or something and it is up. Takes 15 minutes. And the neighbours will not have to look at some weird thing in the garden. Easy and cheap. That is a reference antenna. This way I can forget about all that irritating antenna subject and concentrate on the electronics which is the real gold mine of our hobby.