Telescopic Poles December 2022 Update: General price increase on poles. Also note that shipping costs have increased. We are still trying to keep these available at a competitive price. The 22 ft pole is now back in stock. 
New 32 Ft Heavy Duty Fiberglass Telescopic Pole suitable for supporting vertical wire antennas and light-weight dipole arrays (see Special Notes below). The dark-green Heavy Duty 32 ft. pole is very suitable for use in restricted neighborhoods where the green color will blend with background vegetation. Originally designed for windsocks, these are very strong with a heavy-duty stiff large diameter (5/16 inch) top section. The 32 ft pole is constructed of 10 sections with wall thickness of 1/16 inch, and collapses to 46 inches for easy storage and transportation.  Other telescopic pole sizes (19 to 28 ft) are also available (see below), and some can be stacked to reach 38 ft. Pricing of the 32 ft pole is $115.00 plus packaging and shipping costs, and includes 5 pages of Application Notes. You can extend the height of the pole to 38 ft. by stacking one of the 10 ft red poles ($15.00) over the top.
General Description: We had to travel almost to the West Coast to find these great heavy-duty 19 to 32 foot telescopic fiberglass poles. There are 2 versions (red and green) available, see below. These are much stronger and stiffer than the long fishing poles that some use for vertical antennas. The poles we offer were designed for use at the beaches as windsock poles. All of our pole sections have thicker walls than the fishing poles noted above. The 22 & 32 ft Heavy Duty (green) units have a 1/16 inch wall per section, and the tip section is a sturdy 5/16-inch diameter (versus a fishing pole's flimsy 1/8 inch). The top section includes a one-inch long metal tip sleeve to protect the end and a wire loop to attach items. These units are not fishing poles! The Heavy Duty (green) version comes painted dark-green with a slick shiny finish. They should make great stealth verticals for use in those “picky” neighborhoods. For temporary use, you can lash one to a deck railing with some bungee cords. For a more permanent setup, you can find suitable tripods and other mounts at www.3starinc.com. We have also used patio/deck umbrella stands. The green Heavy Duty poles are sturdy enough to safely support the center of a light weight HF dipole and the accompanying feedline (RG-8X, RG-58, 300/450 ohm twinlead (see Special Notes below). Or, use two of them to raise the ends of your Inverted-V dipole. All of our poles collapse to a length of 46 inches. The sections use a friction fit joint in which you extend the section and finish with a slight twist. There are no clamps or locking tabs. So, if your’re looking for something stronger than those 20 foot light-weight fishing poles that sell for $25+, then consider our 22 foot pole for $55.00, plus packaging and shipping costs (FedEx Ground or USPS Priority Mail). For a more economical pole, then consider our 19 foot Flexible (red) unit at $30.00, plus packaging and shipping. Sadly, the Extra Heavy-Duty (black) 22 foot pole has been totally discontinued. Our importer decided that the sales volume was insufficient to continue production. For total price, use the Contact Us link above. Money Orders, Bank Cashiers Checks, or PayPal are the ONLY payment method accepted. Sorry, NO direct Credit Card transactions. Note that you can use a credit card through PayPal. Aditional questions may be answered via the Contact Us link. PLEASE, do not send payment until you have received correspondence relative to stock availability, total price, and payment details. How to Reach Greater Heights – Stack’em! Here is how you stack them. You take the 19 ft. Flexible (red) pole and stack over the 22 ft. Heavy Duty (green) pole to reach a height of 29 to 31 ft. The difference here is based on how you make the joint. If you just drop the red pole over the green pole until it reaches a larger bottom section then you are limited to 29 ft. If you shim the joint, you could raise the upper pole another 1-2 ft. By doing this in the above fashion, you have upper sections of the green pole that are not used. Just remove these extra sections and save them for when you may want to use the poles separately. It is not very practical to stack two of the same type poles. You would only gain the extra height of the base section (46 inches). One person can easily raise the 2-pole stack, just by walking it up. If you use the 32 ft Heavy Duty green pole, you can only obtain an extra 6 ft of height by stacking any of the red poles over the top. As a result, we only recommend using one of the 10 ft red poles ($15.00) to reach 38 ft. As for guying. In a no-to-low wind environment, assuming that the base of the bottom pole is firmly attached to a solid foundation, you probably would not need any guys, if you are only supporting a vertical wire. In a windy environment, you should only need one set of light-weight guys around 12 to 15 ft up.  Specifications:
Flexible 19 ft Model Name: Flexible 19 ft. Extended Length: 18 ft. 6 inches to 19 ft. 3 inches (varies according to production run) Collapsed Length: 46 inches Pole Weight: 2 lbs (shipping weight is 3 lbs) Number of Sections: 6
Tip Section: solid fiberglass rod tapers to 1/8 inch at top, with metal eye-ring Base Section: 1 & 1/4 inch OD with slip-off plastic end-caps; metal clip for attaching wire/string end
Color: red
Price: $30.00, plus packaging and shipping cost (request quote via e-mail) Reference the red pole (#1) in the picture to the right Heavy Duty 22 ft Model Name: Heavy Duty 22 ft. Extended Length: 22 ft. to 23 ft. (varies according to production run) Collapsed Length: 46 inches Pole Weight: 3 lbs (shipping weight is 4 lbs) Number of Sections: 7
Tip Section: hollow fiberglass tube tapers to 5/16 inch at top, with metal eye-ring Base Section: 1 & 1/2 inch OD with slip-off plastic end-caps; metal clip for attaching wire/string end Color: dark green Price: $55.00, plus packaging and shipping cost (request quote via e-mail) Reference the dark green pole (#2) in the picture above. Heavy Duty 32 ft Model Name: Heavy Duty 32 ft. Extended Length: 31 ft.6 inches to32 ft. (varies according to production run) Collapsed Length: 46 inches Pole Weight: 5 lbs (shipping weight is 6 lbs) Number of Sections: 10
Tip Section: hollow fiberglass tube tapers to 5/16 inch at top, with metal eye-ring Base Section: 1.97 inch OD fiberglass tube (2.02 inch OD metal band) with slip-off plastic end-caps; metal clip for attaching wire/string end Color: dark green Price: $115.00 plus packaging and shipping cost (request quote via e-mail) Reference the dark green pole (#4) in the picture above. X-treme Heavy Duty 32 ft (#5 in picture above) (No Longer Offered) Extra Heavy Duty 22 ft (#3 in picture above) (No longer available) SPECIAL NOTES: End caps: The heavier poles are now being supplied with slip-off plastic end caps. There are pros and cons to this. From an appearance standpoint, the screw-off end caps look much better than the slip-off caps. However, the screw-off base end caps are more fragile and tend to crack when the pole is dropped. As a result, they are sometimes damaged during shipment, especially with the heavier poles. The plastic slip-off end caps do not fail when the pole is dropped. Light Weight Dipoles: When we say “light weight”, that is exactly what we mean. Although these poles are heavier duty than other similar poles, they are still not a substitute for a metal mast, tower, or tree. For example, do not expect to support a Sterba Curtain array or multi-trapped all-band dipoles. In fact, a review of several ham radio catalogs noted that there are no “light weight” commercial dipole arrays available. So, plan on home-brewing your own. First, if you are trying to install your dipole at the highest point on these poles, you need to consider the following carefully. The types of dipole construction that are suitable for these poles involve the use of small gauge wire (#18 to #28). The longer the wire length, the smaller size you need to consider. In other words, you could support a 28 MHz dipole made of #14 wire (total length = 18 ft); however, do not attempt to support a 1.8 MHz dipole (total length = 240 ft) of the same size wire. When designing your dipole, you also need to consider the wind and ice loading that the wire presents to the top of the pole. Do not even think about using a dipole that has traps along its length. They are physically heavy and present a significant wind load. Now, let’s talk about baluns. We do not recommend using most of the commercial baluns at the top of these poles. Here again, the physical weight and wind loading present a large stress on the upper section. You might consider a small bead balun that you construct from a kit, basically, ferrite beads slipped over a length of small coaxial cable. Ideally, the best option is to use a resonant dipole with properly matched feedline, which then does not require the use of a balun. Or, use a twinlead feedline and match the array at the base with a matching network (antenna tuner). What about center and end insulators for your dipole, you ask. Here again the physical weight and wind loading needs to be considered. Use the smallest center insulator piece that you can get away with. In fact, consider using no insulator; just solder the antenna wires directly to the feedline wires. If this is a temporary installation, and the wire size is small enough, then the stress on the feedline may not be a significant factor. Dipole end insulators can be just a piece of fishing line or a button. Second, if you can reduce your height needs to a lower section of the pole, then you can start to make some compromises on the above recommendations. And the use of supporting guy lines is a strong recommendation if you expect your array to stay up for an extended period. The Application Notes that come with each pole provide guidance on erecting the poles, and support guying. Page updated: December 2022 | 
