A new antenna mast was installed at VU2SWX ham radio station. The Mast is approximately at a height of 18 meters from ground level. The following photographs show the installation.
The base of the mast. It consists of 1.5m 2 inch GI pipe fixed on parapet. It is also bolted to the side wall. The bottom side is fixed on a concrete block.
Another view of the base.
The top end of the mast. It has a pulley attached to a piece of pipe as shown. Another piece of pipe was welded above the triangular piece to fix a VHF vertical dipole.
The hooks on the mast for guy wire. The actual mast is fabricated from 4 pieces of GI pipes. Each piece can be detached if needed.
Starting the installation. The installation was some what tricky. There is a power line near my house. So the guy wire were attached to hooks so as to avoid the possibility of any electric shock.
The mast going up along with guy wires. The guy wires were loosened as it went up.
Fixing the mast to the base.
It is going up.
Fixing the base.
It is almost there.
A view of the mast.
After the installation.
There are 4 guy wires. The guy wires are isolated from ground via a piece of PVC pipe The guy wires were tied to hooks on the terrace. There is a nylon rope on the pulley so that I can easily mount an inverted V for HF bands. I am yet to fix the antenna. Hopefully, I will be QRV by the end of my vacation.
Update. 28th April 2009
My friend OM VU3RDD wanted to look at VU2SWX mast for ideas and a game plan for a mast he is planning. So I have set up a picasa webalbum here.
Wow !!!!
I always wished we also did stuff like the westerners, we also documented it like them. Now I am seeing just that.
Thanks Kenny. I overheard a neighbor’s remark to another ” This guy is really crazy”.
😀
Nice work Sunil ! Looks like you had a lot of Ham/SWL help !
I would have preferred a wooden mast (I had one that I built from pieces of long scrapwood salvaged from sawmills near my QTH at Trivandrum – it is easy to make one and will last for a very long time). I hope that the antenna is away from nearby powerlines. 73 de salim vu2lid / n8li
Nice job – both the antenna and documentation.
Yes, as VU2LID said, I also would have preferred a woodern installation though my antenna (excluding the top portion of the mast) was also a GI pipe. One good solution for a mast is a good bamboo pole.
73
Ramakrishnan VU3RDD
cool!!!!
just the sight of the antenna is so amazing!!!!
Really nice…..
That is is good.
I am using 2 Element Quad for my FM Radio
Some time I can get FM Station’s Kannur, Cochin & TN Side
73’s good FM DX’ing
Krish – VU3OCG
The pictures explain a lot but you could write more on the steps that were undertaken to accomplish the task. Block diagrams and rough sketches could complement the write-up.