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Firmly clamp the antenna to the upper end of the
mast. Insert the mast into the base hole or rest it on
the deck or patio. Vertically position the mast by
"walking" it up hand over hand. Rest it against the
wall bracket(s). Loosely fasten the mast to the wall
bracket(s). After determining that the mast is truly
perpendicular, tighten the bracket(s) a little more.
Next, orient the antenna. After the antenna has been
oriented, securely tighten the wall bracket clamps
around the mast. Finally, if a base hole is being used,
fill in the hole and firmly tamp the soil around the
base of the mast.
Telescoping Masts
A telescoping mast (Figure 4-14) is used in installa-
tions for which standard 5 or 10 foot lengths of mast
stacked together would not be sufficiently strong or
rigid. A length of telescoping mast is stronger and
more rigid than the same lengths made up of
standard mast pieces stacked together. Because of
their additional strength, some telescoping masts
used with ground mounts can be extended up to
15 feet above the roof line without requiring guy
wires. Another advantage of telescoping masts is that
they can be easily adjusted to odd heights without
having to cut the tubing.
Because telescoping masts are heavy and require firm
bottom support, they should not be used with
Fig. 4-14. A typical
telescoping mast.
T
M
OOLS,
ASTS &
chimney or wall mounts. However, because ground
and roof mounts do provide bottom support,
telescoping masts can be used with these mounts
to provide additional height.
For extra strength when installing large antennas, use
a telescoping mast that is one size larger than actually
needed. This will permit you to attach the antenna to
the mast section immediately below the topmost one.
This section is larger and stronger than the topmost
section because it is reinforced by the 1-1/4" diameter
section that remains inside.
When installing telescoping masts 20 feet or shorter
in length, lay the mast on the ground and extend it to
the desired length. Prop up the small end on a stable
support and attach the antenna and transmission
line. Then connect the bottom of the mast to the base
mount and walk up the mast to its vertical position.
(Use a base mount that will swivel!)
For masts over 20 feet long, securely mount and guy
the bottom section first. Then attach guy rings and
wires to the rest of the sections. Mount the antenna
on the upper section, secure its guy ring and the
transmission line. Using a person to hold the guy
wires to each anchor point, raise each section one at
a time, starting with the top. Tighten the wires after
the mast is fully extended.
Fig. 4-15. A step ladder carefully positioned across the
roof peak and tied to the guyed mast section
permits reaching above the guyed bottom
section of a telescoping mast to attach guy
rings
and
telescoping sections.
HA
RDWARE
guy
wires
to
the
upper
R
EQUIREMENTS
13
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