Height is might! Here is my quick and easy antenna mast: 4x pieces of 17 gauge fence top rail, 10.5 feet each, for a total of 42′ + antenna.
The antenna is an ‘off brand’ 5/8 wave vhf/uhf dual bander. Feed line is amazon recommended (yes, el cheapo) 8x 50 ohm coax. (upgraded to LMR400)
Total cost of the antenna system (antenna, mast, feedline) approximately $150.00.
I was happy with this antenna/mast with three sections of fence top rail, however, as it was very stable, I thought I would add another section just to ‘see’, and yes, its still stable!
I am considering at some point in the future to add a fifth section of top rail, however, at that point I may also need to add some guy lines.
Future planned antenna projects:
Grounding! On order, are a pair of spark gap lightning arrestors.
HF antenna. This is currently the bane of my existence. I have found that it is much easier to buy an HF radio, than it is to design, build, and install a good working HF antenna – especially in a small city lot.
However, I shall not be deterred – come back soon as see what I came up with!