Polar Mast

Back to comparison table	Mount Commonly Used	Stability	Cost	Install Time	Labor	Substrate	Site Impact
	Included in mast	med-high	$500	1hr	1	BR	low

The ’polar’ mast consists of a lightweight aluminum mast fitted with a custom antenna mount. The mast is bolted with four expansion bolts onto bedrock or cement. Height may vary; shown here is a 1-meter mast, but 0.5-meter and 2-meter masts (e.g. for deep snow or populated areas) have also been produced. This style of mast has been used by the TAMDEF project in Antarctica, the POLENET project in Greenland and Antarctica, and other remote CGPS sites including Mauna Loa, Hawaii.

Pros

Materials are lightweight and portable
Can be installed with a battery-powered drill
Small footprint, low-profile
Short installation time (<1 hr)
Can be installed on a rooftop or other stone or cement structure

Cons

Can only be installed in solid material

Design and Construction

A custom jig is used for drilling the bolt holes.

Documents

Installation instructions (.pdf)

Installation Photos

Eric Kendrick of Ohio State University works to install a mast using the custom jig on Moody Nunatak, Antarctica, as part of the WAGN network.

Approximate Cost

$680

Supplier: https://www.tech-2000.com/

This cost is for the monumentation only.

Materials

4 expansion bolts
mast
12 washers
12 nuts
antenna mount and set screw
epoxy (e.g. Hilti HIT-HY-150) or quick-setting, expansive concrete
Loctite or other glue (incl. epoxy) for threads (optional)

Tools

custom drill jig
measuring tape or measuring stick
chisel
mallet or hammer
battery-powered drill and drill bits
tape to mark drill
tube to blow rock flour out of the holes
protective cap for the threaded bolts
level
wrench
compass

Mount Commonly Used

The ability to level the antenna and align it to north is included in the design of the polar mast.

Send questions or comments about this page to Support (supportunavco.org).

Polar Mast Overview