For those of you that would like to have a Maypole antenna, but would like it to be suspended from a line/pulley arrangement, this project will give you some ideas. A friend of mine has a 50 foot tower, with an arm sticking out about 2 feet, that he wants a maypole feed assembly to be hung from. This is what I've built. Pictures will show the detail.
| QTY | |
| 3" PVC end cap | |
| 3" PVC pipe section (5" long) | |
| can of PVC cement | |
| 3.5 inches copper strap | |
| 1/4 inch stainless steel star washers | |
| 1/4-20 by 1 1/4" long stainless bolts | |
| 1/4 inch stainless steel flat washers | |
| 1/4-20 stainless steel nuts | |
| 1/8 inch by 3/4 inch long, stainless steel screws and nuts | |
| 3/8 inch eye bolt with large and small flat washers with lock washer and nut |
|
| 1/4 inch terminal eyes |
Step 1
For the 3 band antenna, bisect the PVC pipe into a 60 degree hole pattern for the 1/4 inch holes to be
drilled for the antenna wire bolts. If a 2 band antenna is desired, bisect at 90 degrees.
Drill the 1/4 inch holes about 3/4 inch from the bottom edge of
the pipe.
Step 2
Drill a 3/8 hole in the center of the top of the end cap. Mount the eye
bolt with the larger flat washer on the inside of the unit with smaller
flat washer on the top. Tighten and perhaps put a dab of lock tite or
PVC cement on the additional exposed eyebolt threads to prevent the
nut from working loose. Now glue the end cap to the lower pipe
section.
Step 3
Drill (4) holes at 90 degrees, where the glued PVC overlap occurs to
ensures that even if the glue fails, the 4 screws will hold the
overlapped PVC sections together.
Step 4
Lay the copper strap section on the inside of the pvc pipe, where it
covers 3 of the 6 holes drilled. Mark with a felt tip marker, then
remove and drill with 1/4 inch drill.
Repeat this on the other side using the other strap.
Step 5
Drill an entry hole in the unit about half way up the pipe, to insert
the coax cable.
Feed thru the coax, strip back, and solder terminal eyes to both center lead
and shield of coax.
Step 6
Place a star washer on all 6 bolts, and put each wired terminal lead, on
the center bolt of both straps.
Step 7
Place a flat washer on each 1/4 inch bolt, on the outer side of unit,
then tighten down each with a nut.
Notice the 4 screws that lock the 2 PVC units together. Also note the terminal eyes attached on the center bolt of each copper strip. Note the heat shrink I put on both the coax leads.
Step 8
I applied epoxy around the coax where it comes inside the unit. this
ensures there will be no water penetration, or mechanical failure.
Attach the antenna wires to the feed bolts for the chosen bands. please look at the original Maypole antenna platform article I built, which is published on this web site, for tips on how to best prepare the wires, for 1/4 inch bolt mounting. That same article will have the necessary formula for cutting the various antenna wire lengths.
