The pivot/ antenna base. Components: 2 - 15"x 1-3/8 fence toprail, 2 - trailer spring hangers, 1 4x4x.25 t6061 angle, 2 dx engineering clamps, 1 American Earth anchors 14" auger. Been scrounging parts for three years.....Finally figured out a way to make it work with off the shelf components. Goal - Ease of use in the field.

This is what this puppy looks like when semi-engaged with the enemy. With just about half of the auger embedded in the ground, the base is already quite stable. Not sure if it is long enough for the sand, but that's taken care of.

These were a once in a lifetime e-bay bargain I picked up in 2008. cost $5.50 including shipping(i.e. four of them for $22.00) Useless in the sand, but good in clay soil if you don't hit stone.

Hi-resolution version(2meg)

This is a "before" shot from the first experiment. The gin pole is 4 sections of mast(14.6 ft), tugging on 13 sections of mast(47.66 feet).

The balance in this configuration is off, which limits the useful height to ~48 ft. But the shot shows the basic idea. Rigging this way requires only four additional lines over what we did in 2009 and 2010, and two of those[gin to mast pull ropes] are pre-made to specific lengths with spring clips on both ends. Snap, snap, snap snap -done.

This is really easy to lift alone. I suspect lowering the mast will be more difficult, so I didn't bring it all the way vertical while alone. But the first three feet off the ground is the hardest when lifting.

Easy. Slikker-than-snot.

Hi-resolution version(2meg)

The whole gig is premised on having all of the lines less than 50 ft long since that is a readily available length for retail rope.

This shot shows the top gin-to-mast pull rope has been moved up to the 11th section. In this configuration the balance of the linguine spined mast is easier to lift. In this one, the mast guys are still at section #10 (36.6 ft) while the gin pull rope is one section higher at 40.33ft. This has three sections above the pull line for a total mast height of 51.33 ft.

I next added one additional section, and this configuration remained stable for a total mast height of 55 feet. For comparison, we had 32 feet in 2009, and 11 sections for 40.33 feet in 2010.

I was able to pull up 55feet alone. Would NOT like to try lowering it from vertical alone, but should be easy for two people.