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Reviews For: Rohn H50

Category: Towers, masts, accessories, climbing & safety gear

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Review Summary For : Rohn H50
Reviews: 4MSRP: $169.00
Description:
43.9 foot telescopic mast with guy wire rings.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.rohnnet.com/files/2015_Rohn_Full_Catalog.pdf#page=252
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0040.5
KD2BS Rating: 2021-11-10
Rohn 9H50 - Unusable as first received Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I actually had two 9H50s, purchased in the last half of 2020. On both masts, the middle section jammed and could not be raised. I took them apart and tried everything I could see, but nothing worked. I thought possibly I could make one from the two, but the problem was in the same spot on each. There appears to be a real manufacturing problem here. Rohn offers no directions or support. Unfortunately I purchased them based on the Rohn reputation. Maybe this was a bad lot - I don't know but I wouldn't go near any of these at this point. I still have them as these aren't the easiest things to pack up and mail, but they are useless.

An update: The problem with the poles raising was that the bolts that can be seen in the pictures had been overtightened which pressed into the mast. After much trial and error, I realized that these could be drilled out. That did allow the sections to telescope and between the two masts, I was able to make one work at a lower height. Hopefully, the overtightening was a onetime issue that has been solved.
K2MK Rating: 2021-04-04
9H50 Same stubborn problem Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I hate to pile on but the previous reviewers are absolutely correct. My experience was in 2012 or 2013 when the mast was first introduced. I purchased a 9H50 more out of curiosity. I already had an H30 mast for my hex beam so I was familiar with the product line. This time I wanted something to get my Pixel receive loop antenna up in the air. I was thinking about going up about 20 feet but I didn't want an H20 because I was trying to cut down on step ladder use as the area I planned to install it in was very irregular. The 9H50 could be pushed up with both feet on the ground so it fit the bill.

I could not separate the top few sections. I believe the stubborn sections were caused by the "L" shaped clamps being seriously over-tightened. Perhaps Rohn did this to avoid their falling off in shipment. My theory was that by excessively tightening the clamps it was possible to dimple an inner section. This now permanent dimple would make it difficult to raise or lower the next smaller section. The pressure from the clamp could have also caused the affected section to go out of round. Either way it would have been difficult to correct.

I discarded the defective sections and used the mast at about 15 feet.

73,
Mike K2MK
WB9BWP Rating: 2021-04-04
Used to be good Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought a 9H50 back around 2014 and it worked great. Bought another in 2019 and was able to extend it by myself it was so smooth. Ordered one from DX Engineering back around Sept 2020. Couldn't get the 5 sections apart. Called DX, they were out of stock so had one shipped direct from Rohn. It came strapped to a pallet on a semi. It was just as bad, needed pipe wrenches and 3 people to get just some of it pulled out. DX then sent me a third one. It sort of worked. 2 sections were stuck together. I haven't tried to put it up yet (actually I will try to make one good one out of all the pieces I now have), winter you know.

In all cases of the recent purchases the screw holding the bracket around each section was so tight I needed to use a large wrench and I was afraid it would break before it came loose. That screw (or I don't know what) caused a major dent in the inner mast tube which then caused that tube to not want to slide out. This is on multiple tubes across multiple masts manufactured at different times. Rohn must have recently hired gorillas to tighten their hardware and laid off everyone in quality control. After this, if I can make it work, no more Rohn products for me. So much for American Made Quality!
AB9PM Rating: 2020-12-08
Defective Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Rohn H50 has a manufacturing defect on their 43.9 foot telescopic masts according to DX Engineering, as they have had some complaints. Obviously Rohn doesn't care enough to fix the problem in their stock or check for further defective problems. The mast has 5 pipes. The middle pipe has a lip pushed in on the top of the pipe. I took and punched a screwdriver in the pipe and bending it out until it was open all the way around the pipe. Fixed now I bet, wrong! Next out comes the pipe wrenches moving oh so slowly to get the pipe to come apart. Work at it and work at it finally the pipe is out. I notice a yellow green slime dried on the pipe not on the other pipes. Out comes the WD 40 penetrating oil. Wipe it all down off comes the slime. I bet now it is fixed. Pushed the pipe back in, and tried to pull it out. Of course not, out comes the pipe wrenches, I pull the pipe apart again. Get a new bottle of WD 40 and spray the pipe up and down and all the sides of the pipe. I do not wipe it this time. Push the pipe in, pull the pipe out. Not easily, I do not know if the pipe will be useable tomorrow when the antenna is raised. This is really inexcusable given previous complaints for the same thing, and not remedied. Typical American Company.