Rolatube Carbon Antenna Mast Rollable Carbon Fiber Antenna Mast with 60-Second Deployment for HF-VHF Communications

The Rolatube Carbon Antenna Mast is the rollable carbon fiber antenna mast designed for the HF/VHF radio operator in the field who needs to elevate an antenna to 6 meters height to improve radiation efficiency, HF sky-wave shooting angle, and VHF vertical antenna gain above terrain obstacles — trees, buildings, orography — in situations where deployment time and equipment weight are the variables determining whether the communications system is carried in the pack or left in the vehicle.

Rollable carbon fiber (oval-section tube of 0.8 mm wall in 230 GPa Young's modulus UD weave) provides sufficient stiffness to maintain the mast erect with 15 kg lateral head load — the weight of a 3-element HF bent dipole lazy-H antenna plus counterweight — without guy wires or ground stakes on firm terrain, reducing total antenna system installation time to 90 seconds from start of deployment on flat ground. The total weight of 900 grams for the 6-meter mast folded in its 65 cm case is the differential that makes it transportable in the side pocket of a 35-liter assault pack, unlike equivalent aluminum masts of 3.5 kg that require vehicle transport.

The coaxial cable guide ring integrated at each mast section — at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 meters height — guides the antenna feed cable along the mast without contact with the carbon structure, eliminating common mode current losses that occur when the coaxial cable runs parallel to and in contact with a conductive structure. Dimensional compatibility with the standard SO-239 (female UHF) connector and PL-259 adapter allows direct connection of ICOM, Motorola, and Barrett portable HF transceivers without additional pigtails.