While it still may be bitter cold in many parts of the world (including right here at DX Engineering headquarters in Tallmadge, Ohio), we thought we’d warm everyone’s spirits by featuring a product near and dear to those outdoor operators dreaming of sunny skies, temperate breezes, and busy afternoons of being the big station on the air during your SOTA, POTA, and IOTA mini DXpeditions. If you’re itching to handle flurries of QSOs rather than flurries of snow, DX Engineering offers a range of portable antenna masts in various materials, heights, and collapsible lengths. Here are some solid options:
WiMo Telescopic Masts
For convenient and worry-free portable operations, you can’t go wrong with strong yet lightweight aluminum telescopic masts from WiMo. The masts’ slotted aluminum tubing can be extended to the desired length and locked solidly in place with the attached clamps. Models are available from maximum heights of 13 to 52 feet. These versatile masts have a range of uses, including antenna construction, installation of weather stations, and mounting of monitoring cameras. Although the masts are primarily intended for temporary use, they can also be installed permanently if properly fastened to serve as a guying point for a dipole antenna or other functions. You’ll find all WiMo telescopic mast models at DXEngineering.com.
DX Engineering Complete Telescoping Fiberglass Tubing Mast Kits
These kits are designed for fast deployment, easy transport, and reliable performance of temporary and portable antenna masts. Perfect for operating on the go or testing antenna projects in your backyard, the kits come with finely finished, high-quality pultruded fiberglass tubing featuring nominal 0.120″ wall thicknesses for strength, durability, and smooth telescoping. Depending on the kit, tubing is collapsible to either 4 feet or 7.5 feet for easy storage and convenient loading in a vehicle. Choose from these options:
• Four 48″ telescoped sections extending to 15 feet
• Seven 48″ telescoped sections extending to 25 feet
• Seven 90″ telescoped sections extending to 46 feet, with standard 2 inch O.D. base section
• Seven 90″ telescoped sections extending to 46 feet, with heavy-duty 3 inch O.D. base section
Tubing is easily secured in place with provided DX Engineering Cam Lock Clamps. A lever on each clamp can be released to allow for fast and simple extension or collapsing of the above mast section. A 3mm Allen wrench is included for accurate clamp adjustments, and each kit comes with a vinyl cap for covering the top section.
SOTABeams Portable Masts
The acronym SOTA (Summits on the Air) embedded in the company name should give you a pretty good indication that you’ll find the right gear for your portable adventures at SOTABeams. Their lineup of portable masts includes:
Tactical Mini Compact Ultra-Portable Telescopic Mast: Lightweight and small enough to fit in a backpack when collapsed to 22 inches, this 11-section mast has a maximum height of 19.6 feet and makes an ideal support for 20M dipoles, end-fed half wave, and other antennas. Made for rapid deployment, this fiberglass mast is built tough to stand up to the elements. A carrying bag is included.
Carbon-6 Ultra-Light Telescopic Mast
Weighing only 10.6 ounces, this mast fits nicely in a backpack for easy transport. The light-duty carbon fiber mast extends to 19 inches and collapses to 17 inches. Smooth telescoping of the mast’s 18 sections ensures fast deployment. The Carbon-6 mast is suitable for supporting lightweight horizontal or inverted-V antennas but is not recommended for supporting the center of dipoles with heavy feedlines or for use to support a vertical antenna. Because carbon fiber masts are slightly conductive, extra care should be taken when using them near power lines.
Other SOTABeams’ masts include the heavy-duty fiberglass Tactical TAC7000HDS (23-foot maximum height, collapses to 23.3 inches); and the super-light MINI Telescopic Fiberglass Pole (13-foot, six-inch maximum height, collapses to 20 inches). Guying kits are available for the TAC7000HDS and Tactical Mini Mast.
Visit DXEngineering.com for more portable telescopic mast options: Bushcomm Portable Mast Kit, MFJ Telescoping Fiberglass Masts, and the CP-45 Telescopic Aluminum Mast from Comet.
