The 19TA masts are pretty common in the EU. I've been using them for my antennas since 2012, when I got my first one. I've gradually bought about 9 of them, and I'm currently using 5.
Until this year, I had only been an enthusiastic user of these masts. Everything changed when my friend Petr, OK1CZ, broke his mast and I decided to buy the remains from him. I became interested in the "inner workings." Now that I understand how it works inside, I consider their design to be ingenious.
Here are a few photos, I'll write more when I have time :-)
How do I do it when I need to lay down the mast and there is an antenna on it?
The base of the mast with a “foundation” made of coarse gravel.
Folding down the mast and supporting the antenna using a fire ladder
Detail of the pulley attachment for the pull-out rope, as it looks after several years of use.
Mast extended on the ground
One of the critical elements – sunk screws holding the tube of the last part on the tensioning mechanism.
View of the tensioning mechanism spring
The tube of the last section separated from the tensioning mechanism.
If you need to remove the cover of the locking latch and there is a rope stretched inside the mast, it is necessary to ensure that the pulley mechanism is permanently pressed against the mast!
The problem with lowering one of my masts was caused by a broken countersunk screw head that got stuck under the spacer ring.
The screw head that caused the retraction problem
One of the rubber seals broke off the retaining ring – I made this solution, which keeps the sealing ring in its seat during extension.
This is the top part of the mast – a fairly robust solution, but it is only held in place by three M5 screws on the upper tube.
Extension supported by ladder.
The last part wouldn't come out (the rope was slipping). I solved this by pushing it out using a long pipe and a ladder.
Fully extended mast using an auxiliary tube.
