50' Stainless Steel mast like on TV media trucks
Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:53 pm
Got this military surplus (made by Bendix) HEAVY duty mast many years ago. Had it installed and up for a couple years and used a well water pump to "power" it. Just connected the hose cranked open the valve and up it went slick and smooth as the lift down at the (old days) gas station.
7 sections all keyed with matching serial numbers. ALL stainless steel. Nests at 9' The non stainless base serves as a bearing surface and the guy points allow for the whole mast to rotate with clamp-on periscope like handles. It also has a clamp-on sorta "peep sight" for aiming. At the base there is a brass / bronze circular scale calibrated in fine increments (not degrees). There is a also a couple level vials.
It's really a UNIQUE and COOL thing (now a boat anchor!) and it's followed me for years, but retirement (in RV) has not worked out to where I can use it.
I used to have it polished shiny and beautiful, but years laying out the base is now rusty. The stainless of course is still great and the bronze fittings between the tubes are fine. I believe most of the seals inside it are still good too. I'd lubed them with silicone grease. When I had it up (back about 1975) it stayed up without having to repressurize it for well over a year. That AMAZED me. I guyed it with poly-pro-puh-lean (sp?) rope with the idea of using it as a height adjustable HF vertical. Even made a 1" thick plastic base insulator pad for it.
The hinged tip-over base allows antenna work with your feet on solid ground. Would be GREAT for an experimenter or for someone who wants a bulletproof mast the looks really neat.
I don't know what it weighs, but it's HEAVY! I've had to take it apart to move it in sections.
Anyone ever seen one of these things? Know what it might be worth? Who to or how to "market" it? Somewhere I've got old pics of it installed. I've got current as-is pics too if they would be helpful.
Mark
WA6VHT
7 sections all keyed with matching serial numbers. ALL stainless steel. Nests at 9' The non stainless base serves as a bearing surface and the guy points allow for the whole mast to rotate with clamp-on periscope like handles. It also has a clamp-on sorta "peep sight" for aiming. At the base there is a brass / bronze circular scale calibrated in fine increments (not degrees). There is a also a couple level vials.
It's really a UNIQUE and COOL thing (now a boat anchor!) and it's followed me for years, but retirement (in RV) has not worked out to where I can use it.
I used to have it polished shiny and beautiful, but years laying out the base is now rusty. The stainless of course is still great and the bronze fittings between the tubes are fine. I believe most of the seals inside it are still good too. I'd lubed them with silicone grease. When I had it up (back about 1975) it stayed up without having to repressurize it for well over a year. That AMAZED me. I guyed it with poly-pro-puh-lean (sp?) rope with the idea of using it as a height adjustable HF vertical. Even made a 1" thick plastic base insulator pad for it.
The hinged tip-over base allows antenna work with your feet on solid ground. Would be GREAT for an experimenter or for someone who wants a bulletproof mast the looks really neat.
I don't know what it weighs, but it's HEAVY! I've had to take it apart to move it in sections.
Anyone ever seen one of these things? Know what it might be worth? Who to or how to "market" it? Somewhere I've got old pics of it installed. I've got current as-is pics too if they would be helpful.
Mark
WA6VHT