[UK-CONTEST] Fibreglass Mast

[Dave Sharred]

Morning Dave

Spiderpole use Jubilee clips, covered in heat shrink Open the Jubilee clip,
thread the heatshrink on, heatshrink it); and apply it to the top section.
The heat shrink is to avoid marking the sections when you clamp them tight.

Works ok on the 18m and 26m Spiderpoles, so yours ought to be ok too

73

Dave
G3NKC

-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Dave Lawley
Sent: 02 May 2011 09:04
To: UK Contest Reflector
Subject: [UK-CONTEST] Fibreglass Mast

I'm currently using a mast of about 38ft to support a doublet. Most of the
mast is made of a telescopic fibreglass mast bought on eBay. I removed the
top two sections as they are very flimsy, and attached light wires and
300ohm feeder to the top with cable ties, making a lightweight structure.

Each joint in the mast was pulled out to a tight fit, then taped and finally
a cable tie installed over the top. It is guyed at the top and middle.

However, in the strong winds of the weekend a couple of sections have
telescoped and I now only have a 30ft mast for entry in this evening's 80m
CC contest! This was mainly due I think to wind pressure on the wires and
guys applying a strong compressive force on the mast.

My question to UK-contest is what is the best way of fixing the sections?
I'm not too bothered about being able to telescope the sections again so I
could glue it, what type do you recommend or alternatively would it work to
use rivets to fix the joints? Any other suggestions gratefully received.

73, Dave G4BUO

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