Antenna base at short notice

Martin VK3TMP

I recently had a need to slap together a base for a mast that is stabilised by the car driving onto the base. Being an enthusiastic do-it-yourselfer and not having additional steel for the base frame – and not wanting to buy steel for something I wasn’t sure whether I’d get a lot of use from – I came up with this option.

I did sacrifice a short length of the tube I had though for this project so here goes. What is its composition:

• 40mm dia x 400mm length of found steel tube
• 4 lengths 20mm x 20mm SHS scrounged from an old chair
• Treated pine off-cut left over from building some years back
• 600mm x 22mm x 50mm
• Oh, and a welder, a cheap spray-can of primer and a couple of screws. 

Assembly – self explanatory.

Use – slip 50mm masting over the top or if smaller, such as a painters pole or such, insert it. A squid-pole an be strapped to it also.

As long as the height and load are reasonable, guying or securing to the car may not be needed.

Improvements? Perhaps 10G screws or 1/4” bolts and some softening of the sides to roll over a little more easily. Of course some paint would be nice after a good sanding too but perhaps not just yet.

Regards

Martin

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