Multi-Pole

Aluminum Tubing--6061 Tubing DX Engineering---(5) 6' Telescoping sections = $46.32 w/shipping

DX Engineering prices for 6' end-sliced---shipping makes it about double prices listed below

SIZE=inch OD WallThickness Inner Diameter $/ 6' section

7/12/11---50' ProtoType Trial 2--Gregg & Rulon helped me raise it. It might sound like I'm stretching truth, but the picture is actually somewhat squat, so that it doesn't look quite as tall as it actually is. Rulon is about 5'10" & not fat, but looks like it in this picture. Aspect ratio on my camera is messed up lately. Actual height of top is 54 ft. We got it up successfully, but were not able to get the antenna hoisted because the pulley jammed. While taking it down, we made a few mistakes, which resulted in the thing swaying, falling over & crashing to the ground, bending several of the pipes. I know things to do to eliminate the problems, but it demonstrates that the pole is workable, but not at all idiot-proof enough to be marketable, & fiddly to erect. Someone trying to erect it for first time, even with good directions, would likely make a mistake, it would come crashing down, & they'd want a refund. Also, the cost of making a 50' pole is high enough that it would be hard to charge enough to make it worth producing. ---Changes I made going into this version:---

------ZipTies holding the spacer string + also acting as a stop to keep the section from falling inside the section below it.--Spacers worked well & did keep it from sliding down. String was wrapped around polo above the zip tie & held in place by a piece fo masking tape, which was removed just before sliding the section up. ***********IMPROVEMENT NEEDED: ZipTies worked fine. Maybe bend ends of clamps in toward pole so they don't catch string as easily.

------Mast size----used 7/8" fiber glass tubing for the lower one & 1/2" solid rod for top one. This worked well. With the guying, it was not too heavy. ***********IMPROVEMENT NEEDED: none--worked great

------Pulley arrangement----used a radiator clamp to attach it near top of top fiberglass rod. This worked well. U used twine for pulley & had fleeting thought it could jump the groove, & that I should use paracord---but didn't, because my sections of paracord were not at least 100" long. It has to not have any knots in it, or it won't go through the pulley. I have a 1000' spool, but didn't bring it. ***********IMPROVEMENT NEEDED: Use 100' single piece of paracord. Put knot in pulley line 3-6" above antenna to keep it far enough away to not make interference with the antenna

------HiGuys--Tying to pole---I just tied each around pole--one set of 3 guy lines to stakes from the top (HiGuys)Use a clamp at very top to keep top from swaying.***********IMPROVEMENT NEEDED: Use a second clamp about 3" below HiGuys, so HiGuys won't interfere w/ pulley. Make loops which go out of top clamp that the guys can clip into with a simple small locking carabiner-oblong bolt thing. Poly twine works great for guy ropes because it is cheap, has more than needed on a spool, & has no stretch to it. It is plenty strong for the force it experiences.

------HiGuys--Staking out---I used a 12" galvanized spike nail, driven in at 45 degree angle with a hammer, at the end of each HiGuy, about 60ft out. I drove a 4th spike halfway in between the two on one side of the triangle, so that Gregg could control the tension on the two being used in raising, from a single location. He had to get the feel for two much line to feed out to keep just right amount of tension on it, to support it, but not bend it.***********IMPROVEMENT NEEDED: Gregg was able to pull on both from the one location, but the twine hung up on the jagged parts of the spikes & didnt flow smoothly. Gregg suggested some metal rings for the line to feed through. They could just be slipped down over the spikes, as long as the spike has sufficient angle so it doesn't ride up & come off, or it could be tied to it.

------LowGuys--Staking out---These were just tied around the pole, about 30-35 ft up. They interfered with being able to undo the spacer string just a little, but not bad. I used poly rope because I didn't bring enough spools of twine. This made it so the LoGuy ropes were not long enough to reach Gregg, which I had hoped for--so one person could control all 4 lines used in raising the pole.***********IMPROVEMENT NEEDED: Make loops which go out of top clamp that the guys can clip into with a simple small locking carabiner-oblong bolt thing. It could be an extra clamp, which would make just about 1" more length when stowed, & you could just clip into the loops. Use a spool of poly twine for each of LoGuys also, & drive a second spike in ground in front of Gregg so he can tie off both HiGuys to one & both Loguys to other & adjust. Easier with 2people, but possible with one this way.

------Lowering--We loosened the third LoGuy, then loosened the other 2. I had Rulon take his (SE) to Gregg (E). When he did, the pole middle started bowing toward my side(NE) because it still had compression on HiGuys. I ran SE to counter, & it swayed the other way, then started to fall SE. I was not there on NE to counter it, so it started to fall beyond point of no return, & was bowing the pole almost 180 degrees in an arc mostly in the top 4 or so sections. I yelled at Gregg to let it go, which he did, but the HiGuy twine didn't totally release past the spike rough texture. When it hit the ground, it was still bent 110+ degrees. The fiberglass was fine, but several of the poles were bent beyond usability. ***********IMPROVEMENT NEEDED: Don't make it 50ft tall. Release the HiGuys first. It will make the top a little floppy, but it will take compression off it & LoGuys will still support it. Use slippery rings on the stakes. Or release upper & lower at same time buy Gregg on ground with the 2 spikes. (We weren't able to do this because I didn't use twine, so they couldn't reach him. We were one guy short. If we had another person, Gregg could have handled the HiGuys & 2 other people could have each handled a LoGuy. IF I could figure out some kind of compound rope arrangement which could balance the pressure on upper & lower, one person could raise it by just pulling on 2 ropes & tying them off at one stake. This would operate on a ratio of upper to lower distance, as the thing is raised/lowered. Or 2 people could manually do it by each handling a HiGuy & LoGuy on that side, while the third person is raising/lowering the pole.

7/8/11--50' ProtoType Trial---at park on 56th, I raised it to 50' by myself but it fell. Some mistakes & learnings. A Japanese kid offered help after he saw it fall. GA: What would give you the idea I might need help? maybe the whole crash & burn thing?

--Guy Ropes---need trucker hitch because taut-line hitch slipped w/some inconvenient results. Also--where I had it tied around the pole, the top one slid up the pole in process of raising. Guyed down 2 stakes & leaned the pole away from the stakes, so it was held by 2 ropes. The pole is fairly light, so the weight is not much of a problem, but the top is pretty tippy & has to lean + deal w/ torque forces some because the thing can't be totally vertical while leaning against the ropes. This especially puts a strain on it w/ weight of pulley + rope & antenna.

--Stability---everything below guy was stable, but what was above it was not, especially when it had the weight of a rope, pulley, antenna on it--it bowed over. Probably really shouldn't go for 50', at least not without going to a fairly larger size pipes even near top. If doing 50', must have at least 2 guy wire harnesses (one at 25 ft+ other at 44 or 50 ft, & 2+ people raising it.

--Raising---still a bit awkward, with the clamps being 6-7ft up. Had to keep walking the bottom to keep tension on the 2 guy ropes. A couple of things went wrong up high--like ropes getting twisted around one of the clamps, or the guy rope riding up---not much you can do about it that high up

--Clamps--one Key came off. When it did, it never really stayed on right after that. The meter string I used to not let the tube slide too far out of the lower pipe, came undone where I had it tied w/3 1/2hitches around the key, on one of them, which resulted in it sliding up the pipe, thereby not only losing the length stop, but also resulted in a tube falling down inside. The thing slid up the pole because it has to be loosened when raising the section above, & if u r not careful, it would just get pulled up. When it did, the pipe extended too far & came out, with about 25ft above it--quite tippy & had to be all brought down, even with 2 people, because inner pipe slipped down inside. I don't think it did it when I was raising it alone, but when the kid was helping, which shows how other people would use it.---It can't be fiddly + has to be made so someone who doesn't know what they are doing can't mess it up--because everyone will be in that category the first time they use it.

--SpacerString--worked mostly well, if there was a better way to fasten it. The strings did get in way a bit, & sometimes got tangled on clamps, etc. & don't look commercial quality.

-FiberGlassMast---I guess it was When the mast fell over, the 2nd section split. It may have been earlier when so much torque was pulling down sideways on the top section. It looks like it needs to be reinforced where the top one goes into it, & there needs to not be so much torque, probably use a larger diameter rod, or solid, & don't let the thing fall over.

--Alum Tubes---one was a bit tight/scratchy inside the other one, even after cleaning them out, but then later seemed ok. As near as I can tell, they survived the crash without bending, unlike the fiberglass.

I will be using the highlighted sizes SLIT ends. The poles are 6', using a 6" overlap at joints, which leaves 5.5' per section x 6 sections makes this pole 33' tall. Adding an 8' fiberglass mast (2 sections) makes it just (6") over 40' tall when fully extended. It would be listed as a 40' antenna system. If you want it sturdier, it can be shorter. The mast will have a double pulley at top, which will allow you to run 2 things up the pole at a time. Cost for just the poles is $47.40 + shipping.