Here's a neat idea I "borrowed" from my QRP buddy, Ed Breneiser WA3WSJ. When I need my Jackite pole to be self-supporting and I don't have to carry stuff very far, I usually opt for my Jackite ground mount stake. It's quick and effective but too heavy to carry on a hike. Not to mention the need for a hammer (or large rock) to drive it into the ground. So, in situations where the ground mount is impractical, I use a set of guy lines to hold the pole up. Here's a simple way that Ed came up with for securing the guy lines to a 31-foot Jackite pole.

It's pretty simple to build one of these...

  • Pick up a 2-inch, Schedule 40, PVC end-cap at your local hardware store. You'll also need some nylon line. See the accompanying picture for the 1/8 inch line I used.
  • Drill a 1.75-inch hole in the top, using a hole saw attached to your drill. When slid over the Jackite pole, the guy ring should rest on top of the bottom (largest) section of the pole.
  • Drill three evenly-spaced holes around the outside of the end cap. Use a drill size just large enough to accept the size of line you are using.
  • Drill a second hole about 0.5 inch to the left of each of the three original holes. So, you should wind up with 3 pairs of holes around the end cap.
  • Cut three pieces of line. I made each of mine about 9 feet long.
  • Thread the line through the end cap holes, as shown in the pictures, and secure the end with a knot.
  • For the other end of each line, I tied a taut line hitch. This allows you to adjust the tension on each of the guy lines.

My completed guying kit consists of the guy ring with the lines attached and four small plastic tent stakes. Everything fits nicely in a zip-lock bag. (I sometimes throw a lightweight, plastic mallet/stake puller in my backpack to drive in the stakes.) To use it, I drive in one of the tent stakes where the pole will go and three equally-spaced tent stakes around it. Put these three tent stakes about 5 or 6 feet away from the center stake. Take the bottom cap off of your pole and place the pole over the center tent stake. The center tent stake should prevent the bottom of the pole from kicking out. Attach the guy lines to the three outer tent stakes and adjust the taut line hitches for the proper tension. That's all there is to it.

I also built one of these for my 28-foot Jackite pole. For this pole, I used a 1.5-inch end cap. I used a 1.5-inch hole saw to make the large hole. The hole was a bit too small, so I did some filing on it to get the proper fit. The final hole size is approximately 1.6 inches. Again, the guy ring should rest on top of the bottom section. Everything else is the same as for the 31-foot pole.

Thanks again to WA3WSJ for sharing this idea with me.

73, Craig WB3GCK

Click for full-size image
PVC end cap drilled out

Click for full-size image
Nylon line I used

Click for full-size image
Attaching the guy lines

Click for full-size image
Completed guy ring

Back to Homepage