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Old 01-05-2017, 01:43 PM   #1
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Bumper mount mast socket

This is #3 in my trilogy of Holiday Mods.

I have sockets on my spare tire holder and my bike rack for 1" tube that I've used for light duty use such as a flag pole and my old OTA antenna. But I wanted something a little more substantial for my King Jack antenna.

I got lucky at Metalsupermarket. In theory they had every combination of tubes that would nest firmly without slop but in practice it's been hard to find those combinations previously. But great, got a 1 3/8" seamless tube in which a 1 1/4" fits and I can use my 1" tube in that for a higher flag pole. I know, I know, I could have just ordered a ready made mast but where's the fun in that.

Somehow I don't have the motivation to go out and peel back the frozen stiff trailer cover, mount the mast socket, put the King Jack antenna on and try it all out. Maybe when the below freezing ends and it's only snowing.

Ron
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Old 01-05-2017, 02:09 PM   #2
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Flags

I was thinking about getting a flagpole and flying a BIG 10 flag but after the bowl games I think I will just go "shutmouth" as those South Carolina turkey hunters say about a Tom turkey that quits gobbling when he senses danger.
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Old 01-05-2017, 02:20 PM   #3
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Very nice Ron. On future similar projects, you might want to contact Texas Tower, Texas Towers, Home Page . They sell aluminum tubing in diameters designed to telescope. Very handy.

I built our home's 25ft dual TV antenna tower that pivots at base to lower for maintenance. The tubing clearances were perfect allowing telescoping.

By the way, getting free HDTV over the air is not only free but the image quality is superior to compressed pay TV. There is only one channel we miss not having but we are frugal people.
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Old 01-05-2017, 04:14 PM   #4
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Thanks for the tip about Texas Towers. Metal Supermarket can get any tube size in, so if I really was stuck it'd still be quicker to order through them. They're such an improvement over the old days when your only choice was to deal with the big metal places that really didn't want to deal with you. And I love being able to wander through the warehouse looking at odds and ends.

My 8 bay antenna is about 25' off the ground also but I cheated, I put it on the roof.

Yes, OTA resolution, being uncompressed is noticeably better than cable. I've sometimes switched back and forth between the two to show people the difference. Still a couple of shows only available on cable so we haven't cut the cable at home yet.

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Old 01-05-2017, 04:26 PM   #5
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Yes, I too love visiting metal outlets and could spend the day there. I like working metal and enjoy going to those outlets as much as a kid at the candy store. Good luck with your project.
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Old 01-05-2017, 04:30 PM   #6
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Yes, OTA resolution, being uncompressed is noticeably better than cable. I've sometimes switched back and forth between the two to show people the difference. Still a couple of shows only available on cable so we haven't cut the cable at home yet.
Over-the-air transmissions are still compressed, but much better than what I see over satellite. The problem here is that there are very few over-the-air stations available; more that a couple of shows would be missing compared to a common channel package on either cable or satellite.
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Old 01-05-2017, 04:33 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
This is #3 in my trilogy of Holiday Mods.

I have sockets on my spare tire holder and my bike rack for 1" tube that I've used for light duty use such as a flag pole and my old OTA antenna. But I wanted something a little more substantial for my King Jack antenna.

I got lucky at Metalsupermarket. In theory they had every combination of tubes that would nest firmly without slop but in practice it's been hard to find those combinations previously. But great, got a 1 3/8" seamless tube in which a 1 1/4" fits and I can use my 1" tube in that for a higher flag pole. I know, I know, I could have just ordered a ready made mast but where's the fun in that.

Somehow I don't have the motivation to go out and peel back the frozen stiff trailer cover, mount the mast socket, put the King Jack antenna on and try it all out. Maybe when the below freezing ends and it's only snowing.

Ron
very nice...like the way the base mtg is welded together.
So each section of the mast will also be held in place with a pin thru the tubing?
just guessing you came out with less total cost than a prefab mast...
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Old 01-05-2017, 04:39 PM   #8
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Hi Brian, here in southern California, we have like 60 channels from Mount Wilson alone. half that in other directions. My house has to traverse two small moutains, ok oversized hills to "see" Mount Wilson. To get around that I need two antennas, VHS and UFH that points slightly up. We no longer view the lower bands as they are not trustworthy. The higher bands are mostly all educational, documentaries, how to channels and overseas news that seem more honest. Have no issues nor miss pay TV as the price is right. But miss one cable news channel that I make up watching on the internet. The quality if the images is outstanding.

Now when I finish our project house and move there, retirement home, it has a straight shot to Mount Wilson and uses a smaller single antenna.
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Old 01-05-2017, 05:24 PM   #9
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This is #3 in my trilogy of Holiday Mods.

Ron
Your mount is prettier than mine. Look forward to seeing the entire assembly.
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Old 01-05-2017, 05:36 PM   #10
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The problem here is that there are very few over-the-air stations available; more that a couple of shows would be missing compared to a common channel package on either cable or satellite.
We get all the Canadian networks and a couple of others. But we're watching so much more online now the cable's days are numbered.

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Old 01-05-2017, 05:44 PM   #11
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very nice...like the way the base mtg is welded together.
So each section of the mast will also be held in place with a pin thru the tubing?
just guessing you came out with less total cost than a prefab mast...
I welded it like that hopefully to avoid too much shrinkage from welding. Actually I had a reamer out already to ream it but surprise of surprises it actually ended up perfect without reaming. Have to win one once in a while.

Probably a pin at the mid-point. At the bottom it'll be free to rotate in the socket. If it changes direction I'll put on a clamp like the one I use for my solar panel mast.

Less total cost, yes, but the lower piece is seamless tube which is fairly costly, but it was perfect for the nesting aspect.

Ron
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Old 01-05-2017, 05:45 PM   #12
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We get all the Canadian networks and a couple of others. But we're watching so much more online now the cable's days are numbered.
Works in Vancouver. A few hundred kilometres from the Canada-U.S. border, it's just the four Canadian broadcast networks.

Online delivery is certainly replacing all broadcast methods (OTA, cable, satellite); however, it is only practical with sufficient internet access speed and data volume... ironically that is routinely over the same cable as previously used for TV service. No cable (or other wired/fibre high-speed service) to my house - or in most campsites - so that's not an option.
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Old 01-05-2017, 06:14 PM   #13
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Your mount is prettier than mine. Look forward to seeing the entire assembly.
Ah, but your "full time in place during transit" is more convenient than mine.

Ron
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Old 01-05-2017, 06:24 PM   #14
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OK, I couldn't resist freezing my butt off to see how the bracket fit the bumper. One of the reasons that I didn't just weld a couple of sockets on is that I wanted to keep its' positioning flexible.

Pretty pathetic and sad to have to force the snow covered trailer cover aside enough to try out the pole. Even the bird feeder has snow on the roof.

But everything fits fine so hopefully someday soon I'll try it out for real on a warm sunny day.

Ron
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Old 01-05-2017, 06:59 PM   #15
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Thanks for showing the entire mast; it looks good!

In consolation for my comparatively makeshift effort, I can say it got up into the 60s F here a couple of times this week. I even went to the beach yesterday and found this visitor washed in from a recent storm:
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Old 01-05-2017, 07:07 PM   #16
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Considering a mast that collapses and removes from the mount. The Sky Jack TV antenna receiver would also remove from the mast. When mast is collapsed was thinking of storing it in another tube like the one bolted under the rear frame of the trailer that holds the black hose. Not sure it would fit but it seems like a good place, and then store the actual Sky Jack in the hatch on the passenger side rear (EScape 19).
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