Thanks Valkryie! Telescoping masts are great from the ground but all I really need are some swaged 10 foot poles for chimney mounting. I was told by Save and Replay that they couldn't compete with the hardware stores with these but when I check in H. Depot I only saw conduit. Maybe there are others that stock the real thing that I haven't yet identified?

I know it can be addictive trying to get a mast up higher,but i have to draw the line and accept this is as good as it gets.The concern i have now is how close my antenna is to a power line and i think guy wires would be the safe bet.I do have 18 " of the mast inserted in my home made mini tower,which consists of four pieces of 1"angle iron welded with tabs.I also have 10 set screws welded through the tabs.There is 8'6" of the 10 ' length conduit protruding out of the mini tower.Most wind comes from the West,so if the antenna came down it would blow away from the power line to the house,but still i feel more confident with gu wires,what do you think?How high on the mast do you mount a guy ring?

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/picture.php?albumid=400&pictureid=1988

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/picture.php?albumid=400&pictureid=1988

here is how close the mast is to the power line

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/picture.php?albumid=400&pictureid=1989

valkryie I would suggest 2 sets of guy wires: one set at the very top where the antenna pole starts, and one set at the half-way height, all fixed to the same ground points. You can get spools of inexpensive winch wire at Princess Auto as well as some turnbuckles and ground posts.

@valkryie: Pictures can sometimes be deceiving. Assuming that your mast fell towards the hydro drop, would the antenna make contact? If so, you're too close.

Looking again directly under the antenna,would miss only by a foot or 2 and again the winds blow mostly from the west/N.W here so would be away from that power line.I cant find anyone who carrys "guy rings",anyone know of a distributer?? Also after more reading,its been mentioned....." Since guy wires are made of steel, they can disrupt the antenna, lowering its gain.To avoid this,keep the attachment point at least 4 feet below the VHF antenna boom(2 feet for UHF)...." Wouldnt installing 2 sets of guywires wreck havock then and especially just below the antenna??

An alternative to steel guy wires would be Phillystran which is a non-conductive, Kevlar- or polyester-based guy rope. Ham radio operators have used it for years for supporting tall/long radiating antenna elements because it's lightweight and RF transparent

@mr weather: Kevlar doesn't stand up well to UV radiation--it becomes brittle very quickly. Polyester also doesn't fare well in the sun....

Kevlar and polyester are the core materials for Phillystran. They're all covered with polyethylene or the like material which isn't as affected by UV.

I'd like to mount a 5ft. tripod to the roof of my house.

Option 1
If I can avoid it I'd like to do it without penetrating the roof. I was thinking of maybe glueing (adhereing) some 2x4's to the roof and then bolting the tripod to those 2x4's. Is there a good adhesive that will do the job?

Option 2
If I have to penetrate the roof to mount the tripod what is the best way to do this? I really really don't want to damage my roof and cause leaks.

Your expertise and advice is appreciated.

What would you be gluing to? The shingles??? Not a good idea!

You can apply sealant around the tripod feet and also around the screw heads.

What sort of sealant will do the trick? I just want to do this the best way possible

You'll find a thread for everything about OTA in here :) so regarding tripods this present thread has tons of previous info in it.

This other thread will give you all you need to know about sealants: OTA Waterproofing, Sealants, Adhesives, Paint (http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=104181)

What sort of sealant will do the trick? I just want to do this the best way possible
5ft Tripod?
http://www.skywalker.com/itemdisplay.aspx?item=226813
mounting kit with squishy rubber pad
http://www.skywalker.com/itemdisplay.aspx?item=225970

the 5ft tripod is made to screw into roof joists that are 24" apart. middle leg on one side of roof and 2 legs 48" apart on the other side of roof. Joists (studs) are easy to find, tap with a hammer, you'll see.
Don't know where you are, Save and Replay has the tripod and mounting kit. It will work with 1" conduit mast, but I like 1-1/4" better.

I live in Newmarket so I will be making a trip down to Save and Replay. Looks like that place has everything. I'm going to get my grounding equipment down there too. Warm whether is coming soon :cool:

Hi

How much clearance does a standard J mount give you? I have 'about' (leaning out the window measuring, 18" of overhang to clear. Will a J mount do it?

I know I can get 18" mounting brackets so possibly that is the way to go....although finding a set on the east side of the DVP in Toronto is proving troublesome (google letting me down). Any recommendations?

thanks for your help.

The J mount is designed for mounting at brick level. If you want to extend above your overhang you should use the proper 18" mounting brackets with a piece of pipe (usually 1.25" conduit). It is generally not recommended to add any extensions to the end of a J mount to make it longer.

Drove through Leamington on Sunday and seen a 40-50 foot tower (maybe higher) with three CM4228HDs mounted on a boom, all aimed at different markets and what I think is probably Radio Shack's largest outdoor combo with rotor on top of that. Didn't have a camera with me but I'm sure one of the locals could get a shot. The house is on the west side of #77 between new #3 and old #3 (closer to new).indeed, I have seen this set up you are talking about up there in Leamington. I even sent Phil81 a message regarding it when I seen it there back at Easter time.
Would love to know how effective it is.

I finally got a couple of pictures of this setup, it sure is impressive. The tower looks to be at least 50 feet tall. Here's a shot from the road. Sorry about the dull image quality, it was close to sunset and overcast.
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww305/dxandmore/Antennas/IMG_1967.jpg

Here's a zoomed up shot of the antennas
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww305/dxandmore/Antennas/IMG_1968.jpg

EDIT: Also took a picture of the CFTV-34 transmitting antenna high atop an apartment building beside the county fair mall complex downtown. (white thicker stick on the left side)
There is also a CM4228 classic antenna on the top floor balcony (left) in a pot or something facing SW towards Toledo too.

http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww305/dxandmore/Antennas/IMG_1969.jpg

Speak of the devil, I drove past that house on 77 highway earlier today on my way home from visiting the in-laws. Certainly an impressive arrangement of 4228HD's.

Talk about someone we need to have added to the forums... someone drop him an invite... in the snail mail :)