Dog Stake Mast Holder
Another incredibly cheap and easy build is the Dog Stake Mast Holder. The dog stake is commonly available at Dollar Stores for less than $5. All you need is a solid vice and about 6 minutes and you can fabricate yourself a snazzy mast holder.
Using the vice, you simply straighten out the handle and maintain the corkscrew as it is. I sharpened the bottom spike with a belt sander to make pushing it into the ground easier. I also put a little shrink wrap over the sharp end of the corkscrew that would normally go into the ground.
Hams have typically used a beach fishing rod holder but they are more expensive and less robust than this little build. It accommodates a telescoping fishing rod perfectly that you can use for a quick deploy mast for POTA or portable operating. The inside diameter of the corkscrew is 3.5cm/1.38" and fits a 3/4" pipe insulation piece perfectly if you want to snug up the fishing rod. And that's it! It's a very handy, quick and simple gear build.
Thanks for checking out this build!
VE5REV 73!