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Quickie Vertical Antenna Base Support
A simple and easy field day or fixed support for Vertical antennas
by
KL7JR
There are many ways and methods to support a vertical antenna either permanently (fixed station operation) or for portable use, field day activities, camping, etc.
This method I use is but one of
them and should give you some ideas to build on for your type of support
situation and your particular vertical antenna.
It is very simple to put together
using junk materials and your imagination!
The support in the picture
below is for portable or field day use and is made from 2 by 4's in
an L shape of which one side of the L is driven on and weighted down by
your vehicle and the other portion is used to mount the vertical
antenna.
Notice that PVC pipe is used in the field day or portable version above.
All you have to do to set up for
field day is place the support on the ground, drive a wheel on it and
stick the antenna mast down inside the PVC pipe that is attached to the
vertical support. Very simple and quick! It is assumed that the PCV pipe
has already been properly sized for your antenna mast and mounted to the
upright support.
For a fixed station
support, you could use a 4 x 4 length of wood, PVC pipe, or other
non-conductive material suitable for supporting the weight of your
vertical.
Or, you could use steel pipe with
a length of PVC mounted along side it as an insulator from ground. There
are many ways to make this a fixed station support with a bit of ham
engineering.
Wire, plumber's tape, copper tubing, aluminum, chicken wire or other material can be used for building the radial ring with as many radials as you have room.
Remember to isolate the
radiating portion of the vertical from ground!
Alligator clips can be used to attach the radials to the ring, or they can be directly soldered, bolted, etc depending on the ring material you use.
Alligator clips can be used to attach the radials to the ring, or they can be directly soldered, bolted, etc depending on the ring material you use.
This support method should give
you some ideas for more ham radio fun!
73
John KL7JR
Also see how Sean, M0GIA, built his drive on support here!
