Mike, when working with ants like your thinking of, be sure there is no 
electric wires close as to touch when erecting the ant.  A few people have 
been electrocuted in this way.  Good luck.  73
Ed   K7UC

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Steve Forst" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2012 12:00 PM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Fwd: Abandent Fence post for antenna mast

> Mike,
>
> This would be cheaper and more sturdy than  moving around a tripod of
> some sort.
>
> Another option to consider is to use the fence post as the  bottom of a
> homebrew telescoping mast.   I do this with a Butternut  HF-6V on a 5
> foot fence post.   I use a piece of pipe that just fits inside the
> post.   It is cut to a length so that  when dropped into the fence post
> about 6 inches is above the post.   The antenna is mounted to this piece
> of pipe.  I also pre-drilled a hole through the pipe  2 feet from the
> bottom.   With the antenna mounted, coax and radials attached, I raise
> the pipe until the hole clears the top of the  post and slip a bolt
> through so the bolt rests on the top of the fence post and the antenna
> is several feet higher than the top of the  post.
>
> If you do something like this you can  decide just how high or not so
> high you want to go.   Mine is set so the base of the antenna is about
> 13 feet up.  I've got the radials tied off to various things in the yard
> so everything is head high so the lawn guys don't get de-crapitated.
>
> 73, Steve KW3A
>
> On 11/25/2012 11:35 AM, Michael Ryan wrote:
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>>> From: Michael Ryan <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Date: 25 November, 2012 12:57:44 PM NST
>>> To: Michael Ryan <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Subject: Abandent Fence post for antenna mast
>>>
>>> Hi All:
>>>
>>> 1ST of all let me express my condolences to Kevin's XYL and family.
>>> Not sure if some sort of card is planned by the list, think it would be 
>>> a good idea and you could certainly add my callsign to the list.
>>>
>>> I have lived in this basement apartment for almost 3 years and only the 
>>> other day I discovered a cemented in abandoned fence post about 3 feet 
>>> from the top of my stairwell.
>>> I think there was a plan to bring a chain link fence to that post for 
>>> the dog kennel, which never did get done. The pooch has since past on 
>>> and the hole kennel is took down, except for this one post.
>>> Its about 5.5 feet tall, so here's the plan. I'm going to ask the Land 
>>> Couple if I can mount a Hustler 5BTV to it. I'll mount it high enough 
>>> that I can pound a ground rod underneath the antenna for the connection 
>>> of the ground lead.
>>> I'll then come up with a way to attach 3 or 4  radials and when the Land 
>>> Couple needs to perform lawn maintenance, I could lift up the radials 
>>> and drape them over the railing until they're finished or even still, 
>>> devise a way to come up with a quick disconnect radial system.
>>> Leave the antenna up, when want to operate, simply go out and connect 
>>> the radials and coax and go. Disconnect the radials and coax and bring 
>>> them back in when finished.
>>> This might be easier than trying to assemble and try to tune a complete 
>>> antenna. There's another thing, there's a satellite dish mounted on the 
>>> house, which will be about 6 feet away from the antenna top and slightly 
>>> behind. Will the antenna and HF cause interference?
>>> Of course this is all going to be a compromised antenna system but I got 
>>> to try and get the best compromised antenna system I can get! LOL
>>>
>>> TNX & 73:
>>>
>>> Michael DE VO1AX
>>>
>>
>>
>>