[TowerTalk] Sorry to bring up an oldie - Mast Material

[Rick Scott]

Im really confused.  Id like to buy Local, because the mail order houses have 
Really high prices and high shipping
plus they only do 5 or 10ft intervals.

Ive seen all manor material from them from chrome molly to Aluminum and AES even 
has Fiberglass.

I have a Glen Martin 9ft roof mount tower.  Its just shy of 4ft from the rotor 
to the top of the tower.  Right now I have
a 2 1/2" Fence Post mast (really heavy wall) that I hold an A4S up with.

A4 is going bad so I decided to get my dream antenna the standard SteppIR 3 
element beam and nothing else will go on the mast.  I would
like to get 8ft as that will give me 4ft above the tower, I can put the antenna 
at 2 - 3 feet and be ok.



So I need 2" mast material,  

I would dearly like to buy local and we have a few metal shops but I need to 
know exactly what I have.

I searched the forum and man there is a lot of material.  K7XLC used to sell 
mast but his site doesnt.

I posted on the local Snohmish County hams and I got a gazzilion answers.

One guy swears by Home Depot stuff
One says only buy Sched 40pipe nothing else needed
Another says this and that.
Another says 6061-T6 Extruded Tubing 


So not really wanting to open a can of worms, whats the best material to hold 
what I plan to put up
for the best cost.  


Scotty W7PSK