Pole size and material for vertical antenna mounting

Hi everyone,

The time has come to get a better antenna solution for CB and 11 metres. I’m looking at a Sirio Gainmaster 1/2 wave, I like the idea because they’re essentially a centre fed dipole in a case with an RF choke but are mounted from the end (instead of the centre) so they mount/rise above a pole. Also I don’t really have room (or sight) for radials so the dipole nature suits.

I wanted to see what sort of poles other people had mounted their vertical antenna’s on to see what will work without too much bending or snapping? I’m going to mount to a brick garage at the end of the garden (with T&K brackets) instead of the house which should keep the QRM down. The idea is to keep the weight off the wall to have a 6m pole sitting on the ground but the brackets providing support and keeping it steady. It also means I can easily take it down so it’s not a permanent fixture (was also thinking about getting a second 3m pole to pop the antenna on only when using it to be slightly less neighbour intrusive).

I want to get it about 6meters off the ground so it’s at house gutter level and rises from there, but all the aluminium poles at appropriate thickness started to get expensive and heavy.

So I came across these steel poles, 6m tall and 1.1/2inch diameter and 16SWG wall thickness (1.62mm) for £22, which would weigh about 9kg.

https://www.metals4u.co.uk/materials/mild-steel/mild-steel-tube/tube/2340-p

Would they be man enough for the job without bending or worse snapping, with the antenna on top?

I know they’ll rust eventually, but I’d rather replace every now and then, than have a thicker/heavier pole.

What does everyone else mount on?

I guess I could go up from 1.1/2 to a 2inch steel pole with the same 16SWG wall thickness which isn’t a lot more in cost at £27, but it adds another 3kg to the pole at 12kg (and with a 2.5kg antenna on top I've got to lift that).

Also, I’ve got some 70/80mm M5 screws, would they make a suitable fixing? Bit worried about splitting a regular house brick with 10mm coach screws.


Thanks for your ideas and suggestions, and experience – I’m new to poles and masts.
Great group by the way,
All the best,
Mark.

This is what i had my Gainmaster on and held it with just a slight sway in the strong winds what you want.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/labgear-straight-pole-aerial-mast-3000mm/32094?_requestid=230978

Agree with Alan ,that's what I've got for my Gainmaster they do the job perfectly, just a little advise I would sooner go for the 5/8 wave version of the Gainmaster, I know a couple of people who brought the 1/2 wave version and they had problems with them like performance wasn't very good  so they got 5/8 version ,TBH I thought they discontinued the 1/2 wave version become they wasn't popular as the 5/8 version anyway.

Put my Gainmaster in the greenhouse when i took it down.
It's still there but not grown at all.
Must dig it out and put it back in it's box.

Thanks for the advice. I'd seen that Labgear pole at screwfix but discounted it because it was only 3m tall and I thought it would be better to get the antenna a bit higher off the ground than that, aiming for at around the house gutter line so some/most of the top radiating section ends up above the roof peak.

The reason for the 1/2 wave on 6m pole was to keep the visual disruption down for the neighbours. I guess instead I could get a 5/8 Gainmaster on one of those 3m poles if they're plenty strong enough (and they're steel too). The overall height/length of pole + antenna would be about the same in either situation.

So I guess that raises a technical question, what would work better a 1/2 wave 6m off the ground, or a 5/8 wave 3m off the ground.

I thought there was some magic that happened if you were able to get the antenna at least a 1/2 wave off the ground i.e. 5.5m at the base. Or in the case of a dipole does that only relate to the top/north element?

Thanks for helping,
Mark.

It's a good pole and you can add as many as you want.
And when the neighbors aren't looking it can grow over night lol.

I have my Gainmaster 5/8 on a 4m steel pole with a 2m aluminium pole on top its about 4 foot of the ground and i get out great to say i'm only 45 ft above ground level.

Chefsdead wrote:

I have my Gainmaster 5/8 on a 4m steel pole with a 2m aluminium pole on top its about 4 foot of the ground and i get out great to say i'm only 45 ft above ground level.

Do you mean sea level.

Yes I ment sea level

I’ve got my Sirio 2016 up using the Labgear poles from screwfix.
They are really sturdy and I’m about to add another two so the base of the Sirio will be above the roof ridge.I will have to add another K bracket for good measure though.

Don't forget if the pole is going to grow at a later date make the coax a bit long to start with.