The Ultimate Internet Access Project -Part 6- Getting the Yagi Antenna Mounted

Yagi antenna 25 feet in the air above the Fish Bus

Mounting the Yagi antenna has required some real thought and research. I knew I had to get the antenna up in the air as high as possible. My research also indicated mounting the antenna to a metal pole was the best route.

I had a Flagpole Buddy already mounted to the rear ladder on my motor home and I decided to use that. Here are the various components I came up with to use in the assembly.

A stainless steel marine railing antenna mount that has a stud on the top to mount the antenna. It raises and lowers to get the antenna out of the way. I decided to mount it on the cargo rail on the roof and attach a PVC support structure to reinforce the upper part of the antenna mast. A trip to Lowe’s with the antenna mount in hand was the easiest way to get all the PVC adapters to construct the antenna support.

While at Lowe’s I also picked up 2 10′ sections of 16ga galvanized chain link fence upper rail. These sections have a slip fit connector and serve as the antenna mast. They are 1 3/8″ in diameter if I remember correctly.

Detail of yagi antenna support mount

The joint where the two pieces of antenna mast come together is covered by the PVC antenna support which is ideal. The antenna mast slip fits through the PVC pipe with little room to spare.  I found that if I did not glue the cross piece to the upright that screws on to the antenna base, It was easier to put it all together and did not effect the structural integrity at all.

The Yagi antenna is approximately 25′ in the air

Yagi antenna support detail

and seems relatively stable. I have add it in the air for 2 weeks now and it has been through 2 severe thunderstorms with winds up to 60mph.

The Flagpole Buddy has a set screw in the base and I replaced it with a longer screw which holds the mast tight. I can easily rotate the Yagi by loosening the screw. I also indexed the base of the Flagpole Buddy about every 30 degrees to implement aiming.

Read the previous installment of the Ultimate Internet Access Project

Read the next installment  Part 7