Ham Radio Field Antenna Using Military Surplus Fiberglass Poles POTA Field Day or Field Radio

[@gregbarthol5381]

Those $2 'base' pieces are actually meant to put on top.of those poles as their military use is for camouflage netting and those tops support the net

[@forgetyourlife]

yep, I have 18 net spreaders ive been trying to give away free for months. Got them in a deal with a bunch of poles. pretty useless

[@nbookie]

Yep, had many of fun hours pulling fiberglass out of my hands after those poles exploded in sand storms in Iraq.

[@ragheadand420roll]

@@nbookieyeah but we served in the military so illegals can get free crap 😢 ✌🏻🇺🇸

[@texas2wheeler446]

Great setup. An Alligator clip in each leg would make band changes a little quicker

[@joecraft4409]

For a faster and easy band change, put a power poles on the link and you only have to pull the power poles apart. No nuts to loosen or lose.

[@joeb3300]

In my experience the fiberglass poles, especially those without the reinforcing ring around the 'female end' will split at the end if subjected to even modest bending forces. For long-term installations, as opposed to POTA one-day events, I use two 1.75" hose clamps (~$12 for a bag of 10 at Home Depot) on each end of the pole, separated by ~2". Since doing this I have not had any pole failures. My 3-mast, 132-foot end-fed half-wave antenna, with each mast using 4 or 5 poles, has been up for a year in all sorts of weather (well... no hurricanes, yet). I also spray-painted the poles to help protect the fiberglass from the sunlight. Thanks for the videos!

[@joecommins1627]

I just picked up some poles for the same antenna yesterday. When you say it’s a 3 mast system, does that mean it’s actually 12-15 poles tall? I was planning on using 6 poles at the end of the 132ft to raise the end up about 24ft

[@joeb3300]

@@joecommins1627 I meant that I support the 132-ft wire antenna at three points: at the transformer end, at the far end and somewhere in the middle. Multiple points of support result in less tension than supporting at just the ends, which means less torque on the end of a 15-foot-high 'starting' mast. Except for the far end mast, each mast consists of about 5 fiberglass sections. The far end is only 3 sections, meaning that the antenna wire drops to about 9-feet above the ground at that point. Just high enough so that no one can touch it.

[@tonyunderwood9678]

By all means use hose clamps. At least two. The poles WILL crack if you don't, if they see any sort of wind load or even just hoisting them upright if you have more than a couple or three plugged together. Not a problem for me in requiring the clamps. The poles are way useful for all sorts of stuff, temp or permanent.

[@Patriot-bn9om]

FYI, those fiberglass poles and base are part of a camouflage net support system. The poles raised the net above the equipment, vehicle, or weapon that needed to be concealed. The poles are held in place by the tension from the camouflage net that would be stretched all the way to the ground and staked to the ground at the edges of the net. But, yes those make decent antenna supports. In the US Army we used 3ft aluminum poles stacked to the required height, then guyed, to support a variety or VHF Low band (30-88 MHz) and HF antennas.

[@tzm1843]

What kind of flat base would you use to hold a mast on a flat roof, with cement block weights on the base?

[@Patriot-bn9om]

@@tzm1843 On flat roofs I have used a variety of Non-Penetrating Roof Mounts. It requires no puncturing of the roof. You fill in the flat frame base with cinder blocks. The frame has a mast and tripod mount in the middle. I just saw one on Amazon for $61.99. There are many heavier variations also widely available.

[@careycraig4360]

Excelllent Video!! Your video addressed my EXACT NEEDS AND WANTS! Thank You. The fiberglass poles and rebar are definitely the answer as I see it as well. 73's all the best!

[@barrykery1175]

Great job, great video. Super simple installation. I use the same poles for field day. You can walk up 30 feet of those poles by yourself, but they must be guyed. For 30 feet I use two sets of three point guy ropes. With two people I've erected 40 feet of those poles using three sets of three point guy ropes. You MUST use the ropes to help erect the mast or the mast will bend and break. Home Depot and Lowes sells orange stakes for terminating the guy ropes to. I like orange since they are easily found in the grass. For the antenna, I use an off center fed 80. I put a pulley at the top of the mast so the mast is not overloaded when it is being erected. I like how simple your system is. One man, you don't have to carry a big bag of poles and ropes with you and you cover the two most important bands, 20 and 40 meters.. Thanks for posting this great video. Barry, KU3X/QRP

[@SevenFortyOne]

Glad you enjoyed this!

[@joeb3300]

When I use the fiberglass poles, I reinforce the bottom of each with two 2.75" hose clamps. Otherwise they tend to flex where poles meet and form longitudinal cracks. Guying facilitates erecting the mast and adds a big safety factor to keep them upright - but my masts top-out at 24' max. Getting these mast sections, once available for $4 each, has become very difficult. I blame this video. :-)

[@williamsamuelson2495]

That "base" is a top portion used to support cammo nets

[@GG-vx7gi]

Excellent idea. I need a non conductive support idea for an OCF dipole in a semi permanent situation and this would seem to be stronger and much cheaper than the commercial telescopics.

[@cw2gtc]

Ahh, those large CT backyards that back up to woods. All that exploring, backyard camping, and outdoor yard games. Very kewel. It’s how I grew up ‘til I was almost 11. Moved across the world to San Diego, CA.. What a massive culture shock! Now as an elderly guy in North Idaho. What a culture shock, but a very good one…. Didn’t become a ham until age 63, 18mo ago. Now a General. KA6DVR (Keeping alive the callsign of Charlton Heston. B-24 Radioman in WWII, Ham Operator, Movie icon.)

[@techguy9023]

I have used 1/2 inch pex water pipe as insulators (usually qrp or up to 100 watts) cut with a ratcheting pvc cutter since I had one. I have seen it used for traps and coils too. I put a wall flange on a piece of 2 x 2 ft plywood with a short pipe nipple that is hose clamped to a 1 1/4” pvc to slide the mast into.

[@Linas_LY2H]

I've been buying these sections in the flea-markets all around Europe, it seems all the armies in the world were using the same poles :). There is also an aluminum version of exactly the same sections, they are interchangeable with the fiberglass ones, also a very useful thing. From my experience, it takes a proper guying if assembled for more than 4m (12 ft) high , otherwise the mast becomes too shaky because of the loose nature of the joints, it may break at the joint point. 73! Linas LY2H

[@vetham100]

I like your setup, particularly the dipole and the apex made from a cutting board, well done!

[@SevenFortyOne]

Thanks!

[@TheRadiogeek]

Nice idea using the rebar to support the mast. Thanks for showing it to us. 👏🏻👍

[@chris2956]

You could precut some thin nylon cord (like mason's string) and tie it from the center rebar to each of the end bars. This could give you the same spread each time you deploy without having to measure or lay out your antenna before hand and help get you on the air a bit faster.

[@TheRadiogeek]

Chris that’s a very good idea! 👍

[@DavidHart-i5e]

I use the round piece on top of my mast. I run a piece of rope through it in a loop with a small carabiner attached. That way I can raise and lower the carabiner to change antennas without lowering the mast.

[@thomasmaughan4798]

I have used these, stacked 7 high. 8 is too bendy. It takes five boy scouts to put up one pole, three to hold the guy ropes, one to lift the bottom pole and one to insert the next pole. That's 28 feet high. Do it twice and put up a dipole or G5RV type antenna.

[@ragheadand420roll]

Make sure to add big vise grips in your tool box Put vise grips around rebar cinch down corkscrew it out like undoing a screw makes removing rebar a lot easier

[@Radiowild]

Those fiberglass poles are perfect for portability. I have the aluminum versions bought at the Sussex hamfest a few years ago. Holds up my G5RV junior across my backyard.

[@SevenFortyOne]

I've been meaning to get some for quite a while now and glad I finally did.

[@BillyLapTop]

Love your videos. You make things look easy to do and cross all the T's and dot all the I's in the process. Great instructions on how to make a quick and easy field antenna installation. Thank you.

[@SevenFortyOne]

Thanks for the kind words Billy, I'm glad you are enjoying my videos!

[@rheine3]

Love your setup. I welded up some 1.5" X .083 wall steel tube into a triangular tripod connector. The pole connection end fits inside. Those poles slide in just right. Also, 2" X .083 wall slides over the pole itself. I was thinking inverted V. On a windy day I add more leg length to expand the footprint. The poles are all over Ebay.

[@pyreneesfarm7818]

I have 3 of the uprights and 1 base. I also have a base for an umbrella that is a different diameter. the umbrella base can be filled with heavy material, like and or water for short term portable uses. This might help in some city parks or HOA meadows, just saying

[@mikemcdonald5147]

several things on the poles. The ones you showed were loose but I have had some so tight I couldn't separate them. Also they will crack or split near the top sometimes and have had some shatter when I tried to go to high with them. 30 feet is about as high as you want to go with them. The link I gave has rings he sells that allow you to guy the poles off which helps when you start getting to tall.

[@SevenFortyOne]

Thanks for the tips!

[@KI4CFSHamRadioMartinBrossman]

Good video and I had to use the Gorilla Tape on the connections for strength so it would not snap or it would have broke (a lot of pieces did break still). With the Gorilla Tape it lasted for years.

[@TheShawna1]

I use these actully the aluminum ones with one fiberglass on top. for my 10 meter vertical which is a 102 inch SS whip with three radials of 12 gauge wire 8 feet long each . held out from the mast by 3 fiberglass driveway marker rods.The antenna is mounted to your standard mirror mount at the top of the 28 foot pole been up for 11 years now best 10 meter antenna i've used and never fails unlike a certain 99 antenna.

[@W7EDM]

I'm thinking the circular "base " actually is a topper for tarps or tents to rest on.

[@SevenFortyOne]

Oh, maybe it is....I hadn't thought of it that way. Actually, that gives me an idea for a future configuration.

[@mikemcdonald5147]

@@SevenFortyOne held up camo netting for the military. They also have a paddle spreader bar setup too.

[@kd5inm]

You have the pole upside down from how it's supposed to be from military setup

[@SevenFortyOne]

I know...that's intentional

[@kd5inm]

I used metal 4 x 4 inch electrical box covers that have a round hole for a socket in them. I drilled the holes larger on the four corners and in a triangular pattern as well. The round hole in those plates fits perfectly over the plastic portion of the pole. The plates will sit between sections of the poles and make guy plates to allow ropes with metal chain links(the type that has the screw together portion) through the plates to guy the poles up as a 40 foot tall antenna support.

[@bashcoder]

I use these poles as my permanent mast. Of course after about 10 years outside there is now exposed fiberglass and I need gloves to handle them. But they are easy to replace and work great. Also, add a third hole to your cutting board insulators and you have a cheap, effective paracord tensioner.

[@kd5inm]

Buy the fiberglass resin and hardener and mix up and coat those poles before the become bad, then once they dry and harden, then paint with UV protected paint and then paint with olive drab paint to return them to army specs. They also make an aluminum pole suitable for use long term. You can also use oil based paint but I recommend doing a new coating of resin first

[@bassmanjr100]

I have heard that painting fiberglass poles (for electric fence) with enamel paint will make them last for decades without breaking down.

[@bashcoder]

@@bassmanjr100 Thanks for the tip!

[@l.a.2646]

Got a set of white poles. The fiberglass is tough on the hands ,even goes through work gloves. So i think im going to sand mine down & coat my sections with tinted gel coat to dark grey or brown. Wear yer hardhat , i have a top piece with a eye hook, a monkey link and a chromed brass pulley, if that thing jumps out from there from 30' its gonna cave someone's head in.! Have fun and 73 !

[@AG4KN]

While these poles aren't "tent poles", they are camouflage net support poles. I hated the crap out those darn fiberglass poles when I was in the Army. Those "bases" were used to batten up camouflage netting over tactical vehicles and tents. High winds would cause the poles to break and splinter fiberglass shards (which a soldier would have to pull out of their bare hands). Glad someone found a good use for them; just look for breaks and splinters (and please wear gloves). If I were using them as an expedient antenna mast, I would use PVC pipe small enough to fit inside the fiberglass mast and then place over the re-bar.

[@old_bastard2941]

Boy do I remember those days. It sucked covering a 5 ton dump.

[@AG4KN]

@@old_bastard2941 I also hated sewing 3 hexes and 3 diamonds together and then rolling the whole net up on the damn vehicle to tie it down (along with the 4 pole bags (containing 18-each fiberglass poles, 8-each spreaders and 16 each metal stakes). After I retired, never wanted to play with stuff ever again.

[@SevenFortyOne]

Thanks for the info and thank you both for serving our country!

[@kd5inm]

Put the hose clamps on the ends just snug enough to stay on but not so snug that it's a tight fit when putting them together. The ends will split and crack and splinter on those on the female end, but with the clamps on them they dont split or break. I have had a set of these and have made guy rings using metal electrical box covers with the correct size hole in the center that fits over the Male end of the pole.

[@nbookie]

These are camo net poles used by many military around the world. That "base" is actually the top "spreader" for the camo net. Make sure you don't bend to far, they will explode. They also fray. Fiberglass sucks in your hands and eyes.

[@KG5RJR]

Love Military Masts and Camo poles. We put hooks on them.

[@DriveShaftDrew]

thumbs up shared good mobile quick set up

[@SevenFortyOne]

Thanks!

[@albing1397]

NVIS setup - cool

[@tom_olofsson]

Very nice. I like the rebar idea.

[@bsdguy]

Thx guy, you just gave me some good ideas for my end-fed.

[@heathwhittle4514]

Great video ! Got to see you in the Farpoint Farm live video tonight! 73, Heath N4TWT

[@SevenFortyOne]

Thanks for stopping in! Eric is a great guy...I like his videos alot

[@buckeye5704]

That was just a few days before I went back to Ukraine and my lovely bride. I made a few QSOs in that party too just rolling mobile. Maybe this year I can find you. Still want to go down and operate as W1AW too. Bucket list. 73 Rob!

[@SevenFortyOne]

W1AW is a lot of fun if you can get down there. I've done it twice and had a blast both times. I need to find time to get there again soon.

[@hamrad88]

Thumbs up

[@goodfriend6428]

Great ideas. Thank you!

[@buzzsah]

works good, great idea.

[@brentjohnson6654]

Another great video! Thanks for educating me over these videos. It helps to see how others are solving these problems. You said you picked up the fiberglass poles at a HAMFest. I am looking for them on your channel or online and so far can’t find them. I may have missed them on your channel, if they are there, I would be happy to purchase them through you if it gives you any benefit. If not, I will buy you a drink next time I am up in Connecticut. All the best! 73 de KI5HXM

[@SevenFortyOne]

I'm glad you are getting something from my videos. I bought my poles at a ham fest before the pandemic and haven't seen any for sale since then. I only bought enough for my own use and don't have any to re-sell. There is a company out of Atlanta that sells them (it might be the same guy who goes to the ham fests) but his only mode of contact is through facebook. Look for "portable antenna systems" on facebook and you may find him. Last time I checked he was out of stock and had been for a while but that may have changed.

[@brentjohnson6654]

@@SevenFortyOne thanks for the reply. I did look up one guy for poles on Facebook. (He mentioned it in a comment on one of your videos). There is no urgent need at this time. I am wondering about portable poles and permanent ones. For permanent I am curious where I figure out wind loading and pepper mounting of antennas (such as not over x lbs for winds in y range). I am more of an electrical engineer so mechanical is not as strong in my understanding. Thanks again! 73

[@SevenFortyOne]

I saw guidelines for guying someplace...maybe the arrl handbook.

[@brentjohnson6654]

@@SevenFortyOne oh very good. I have that book as well as the ARRL Antenna Book. Time to read that manual. Haha.. All the best! 73

[@Bayou_State_Outdoors]

Those “plastic bases” are not actually “bases”. Those plastic pieces are actually a topper. Those poles are actually cammie netting poles and that topper is used to support the netting.

[@1958johndeere620]

Very good set up.

[@1crazynordlander]

That is cool! Where can you get these? Do you ever get hassled by a over zealous park ranger or security personnel thinking you are doing something sinister in their park? I would be paranoid about setting up a large antenna like this on public property. I am paranoid about flying my drone unless there is nobody around to pose a safety hazard to.

[@SevenFortyOne]

There is a guy who comes to some of the local hamfests that sells these. I'm not sure where else to get them. I haven't had any trouble with rangers here in CT. In fact our group just got permission to use a field behind one of the ranger stations anytime we want.

[@bobdaney48]

Nice job! WD8LIC

[@tzm1843]

What kind of flat base would you use to hold a mast on a flat roof, with cement block weights on the base?

[@SevenFortyOne]

I wouldn't do that for fear of damaging my roof. I'd set my antenna up another way....

[@tommycheshire5508]

I like your stuff. You make an enjoyable video. Thank you. N4KBM

[@SevenFortyOne]

Thanks for your support!

[@Sugarsail1]

no balun?

[@MrRyanLCollier]

I’ve seen the aluminum version of these piles at the local army surplus store. Would those be reasonable for a more permanent setup?

[@SevenFortyOne]

Yes, some of my ham buddies use the aluminum poles for their station antenna supports

[@odobber6]

How many of these poles can you safely join together without danger of breaking?

[@SevenFortyOne]

I'm not really sure. I've used 5 together but that doesn't mean it's a good idea

[@odobber6]

Thanks. I have 4 poles up now but will add 2 more and guy them.

[@mikethetuner]

In this video from 1:00-1:37, you’ll see what happens if you try to use too many of them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6iZkKmujsyioas

[@nivid01]

Yep, good setup for the antenna mate, but lousy set up for your radio. Buy a small fold-up camping table and chair to put your radio on to relax and enjoy--no need to squat!

[@JLSULev]

I've looked high and low and can't find these anywhere. Any idea where I can find these?

[@SevenFortyOne]

There is a guy on Facebook that sells military surplus gear-i forget the name of his company but he may have some. I think they have been in short supply lately

[@claudem.p.7969]

is it possible to buy one of these pole support ?

[@SevenFortyOne]

I don't know where you can get them aside from a hamfest...maybe an army surplus store...

[@MikeM0XMX]

Good video. 73 from UK M0XMX

[@yv5emghamradio249]

How last your Bioenno LiFePo4 Battery, on 50 watt normal operations ?. It's a 20Ah. Right?

[@SevenFortyOne]

Mine is 15A. So far I've used it 2.5hr at 30w and it had lots of power left to spare. Mike at k8mrd radio stuff made a video on the 20ah batter and rad his at 100w for 3 or 4 hours

[@yv5emghamradio249]

@@SevenFortyOne TNX, 73.. yv5emg

[@Swoop180]

I've been wanting to get into contesting, but I always feel like an uninformed pilot trying to talk with ATC in a room full of truck drivers who just graduated Ground school!

[@SevenFortyOne]

Great analogy! I kind of felt that way at first too. I don't contest much at all but after years of doing it casually and listening I could if I wanted to.

[@williampeacock9473]

Where do you get the $2.00 base piece from. All the ones that I have seen has been a whole lot more money. 73 AE4OY WILLIAM EM-81UF

[@SevenFortyOne]

I got them at a hamfest last year. I think that this vendor has a Facebook page under the name "portable antenna systems". He might be more expensive on line and you'll have to pay shipping but this might be the best deal you can get until we can go to hamfests again

[@ubergeek318]

i love these you should check out how i use mine on my qrz page KI5FWJ