Mast and Pole Mounting

Mast options J-pipe mounts: Common TV antenna hardware. Good for moderate antennas on walls or chimneys. Galvanized conduit: 1-1.5" Schedule 40 steel conduit. Strong, affordable, easy to work with. Good for masts up to 4-5 meters. Telescoping push-up masts: Aluminum sections. Easy to deploy. Common for temporary or semi-permanent installs. Non-penetrating roof base: A weighted base (50+ lbs of paving blocks) holds a mast on a flat roof without drilling. Guy wires Masts over 3-4 meters free-standing need guy wires at 120 degree intervals. Use stainless cable or UV-resistant rope. Guy at 2/3 height and near the top. Grounding and lightning protection Ground the mast base with a #8 AWG copper conductor to a driven ground rod. Install a coaxial lightning arrestor rated for 915 MHz at the building entry point and bond to building ground. Key rules Mount antenna as high as practical, clear of obstructions Keep the coax run short by mounting the radio enclosure close to the antenna Use stainless steel hardware outdoors to prevent galvanic corrosion Never power on the radio without an antenna connected - transmitting into an open port can permanently damage the PA