Antenna Mast For Arrow OSJ 146/440

[KE6CT]

I'm looking for an antenna mast for an Arrow OSJ 146/440 J-Pole.  I'm thinking that it should be at least 30 feet high.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[KG4NEL]

They're a local company, so I may be biased, but these guys always seem to get good reviews: http://tmastco.com/

If this is a permanent install, can you roof-mount it?

[KE6CT]

Thanks for the quick reply.  I will check out the link.

This is for a permanent install.  I would prefer to put it on a mast. 

[WB6BYU]

Rohn makes TV push-up (telescoping) masts, which are sometimes available from local stores. 
They are designed to be guyed, but can be bracketed to a building if you don't try to go up
too high above the support point.  I have one out in the back field that I use for wire antennas -
it is extended only to about 25' (maximum is 36') and it is only supported about 8' off the
ground:  it swings around a fair bit when a kestrel or other bird lands on it, so I expect it would
sway around in the wind with a j-pole on it, but probably wouldn't fall down below 50mph.

[KI4SDY]

The Arrow OSJ 146/440 (some dare call it a J pole, but it is not a true J pole) is a very lightweight, rugged and good performing antenna at a reasonable price. You are smart to choose it for your home base antenna and I was too! I have had mine up for years with no problem. I would suggest painting it with flat black spray paint as it is made out of aluminum and will corrode over time, if you don't.

You can easily make a telescoping antenna mast from inexpensive electrical conduit poles and U bolts (I use stainless) from Home Depot. It you attach it to the peak of your roof on the side, you should easily be able to reach 30' without the need for guy lines. Anchor the base in the ground. However, I would always reinforce such an installation at least with black nylon parachute cord, just in case of that high wind storm you did not expect.   

[K5LXP]

The Arrow OSJ 146/440 (some dare call it a J pole, but it is not a true J pole)

What else would you call it?


Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM

[KJ6AMF]

Chris,

If your address in QRZ is where you are going to put it, and if I read the google maps in your area correctly, you are in a relatively flat area, in a neighborhood with mostly single story homes. In that case, I think the easiest installation would be to attach a TV mast or electric conduit pipe to your chimney or on the gable of the peak of your roof. There you could put up a secure, non-guyed mast that will get your Arrow up 20 ft. 20 ft probably will clear all the nearby clutter and will let you hit all the local repeaters and possibly beyond.

I am a little north of you, in the East Bay at sea level. With my 2 meter ground plane at 25 ft, I can reach all the Bay Area repeaters from South San Jose up to Napa and Vacaville. Out of curiosity I mounted the GP up to 40 ft for a week and didn't do much better except for a few repeaters that were just on the edge. It's possible that the added loss from the longer coax negated some of the advantage of additional height.

What ever you settle on, try to keep the coax as short as possible and use at least LMR-400.

[KI4SDY]

The last poster made some good suggestions. The most important thing is that you clear the adjacent roof peaks with the bottom of the antenna. I have mine mounted on a short lightweight pole with a U bolt stuck in to a metal standpipe. With nylon guying, I have had great performance and no problems. If you take this route, check the construction quality of the standpipe and make sure that it is strong enough for the installation. 

[AD6KA]

The Arrow OSJ 146/440 (some dare call it a J pole, but it is not a true J pole)

What else would you call it?

Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM

Even Arrow calls it a J-Pole!
From their website:
QSJ= Open Stub J Pole