[TowerTalk] Fwd: 6061 T-6 as mast material

[Dick Green WC1M]

Shameful. No more comment needed on that rudeness.

I must have missed the original question, but the question is not totally
out of line. If the antenna wind area is small, and the amount of mast
sticking up above the top of the tower is minimal, a piece of 6060 T-6, even
the common .058" wall variety, will work just fine as a "mast". I suppose in
that role it's really more of an antenna "support", but it'll work
nonetheless. I know, because I've used that technique a few times to mount
small antennas on AB-577 portable military masts. I've had three such
installations, all of which have survived for 3-10 years. In each case, a
small rotor was mast-mounted to a special heavy cast-aluminum adapter
attached to the top section, and a 2-foot piece of aluminum tubing was
fitted into the rotor jaws. The antenna was mounted to the tubing with the
boom-to-mast plate resting on the rotor jaws, so there could be virtually no
bending moment on the tube. Where needed, the boom support trusses were
attached to the portion of the tubing sticking up above the antenna. When an
appropriate diameter of PVC tubing was available, I stuck it inside the
aluminum tubing, or slipped the aluminum tubing inside it, to provide a
little extra stiffness and allow the boom-to-mast bolts to be tightened more
snugly without denting the tubing.

FWIW, I use a 12-foot piece of T6-6061 aluminum tubing with 1/4" wall as a
mast for my Cal-Av 2D-40A, which has a windload of 16 sq ft and is mounted
at 110' on a Rohn 55 guyed tower. The amount of tubing sticking up above the
thrust bearing is less than 6 inches. No problems with that tubing bending,
either.

73, Dick WC1M

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Russell Hill [mailto:rustyhill at earthlink.net]
> Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 8:06 PM
> To: w8zn at comcast.net; TowerTalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd: 6061 T-6 as mast material
> 
> Like you I am dismayed at the email you received.
> 
> It says nothing about you but much about the sender.
> 
> It ain't you.
> 
> 73,
> Rusty, NA5TR
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <w8zn at comcast.net>
> To: <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
> Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 3:44 PM
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Fwd: 6061 T-6 as mast material
> 
> 
> >
> >
> > I would like to thank the spineless maggot that sent this to me. It
> is sad
> > that this is how people act. I joined towertalk to learn and share
> ideas
> > but I see there are some that aren't interested in learning.
> >
> >
> >
> > 73
> >
> >
> > ----- Forwarded Message -----
> > From: "Anonymous" <nobody at remailer.neush.net>
> > To: w8zn at comcast.net
> > Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 7:17:28 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada
> Eastern
> > Subject: 6061 T-6 as mast material
> >
> > YOU ARE A DUMB ASS IF YOU EVER THINK ABOUT USING THIS KRAP FOR
> > MAST MATERIAL.... A LID WOULD USE IT...BUT NOT A SERIOUS DXER
> > SLASH CONTESTER....
> >
> > JUST DON'T DO IT DUMBASS!!!
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > TowerTalk mailing list
> > TowerTalk at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
> >
>