Last week, I ran into my good friend Mike (KE8PTX) at Hamvention, and he was bursting with excitement over a new product he’d just purchased: the Explorer POTA20 Carbon Fiber Mast at GigaParts.

Mike is a massive fan of the SOTAbeams Carbon 6 telescoping pole and has been through two of them over the years he’s been doing field radio work. He told me that the new Explorer POTA20 is even better than the Carbon 6.

I don’t think Mike knows it yet, but after his recommendation, I ordered an Explorer mast—it’s backordered, so it’ll be a month or two before it ships.

Mike is also a brilliant designer and has made a 3D-printed tent stake holder that fits on the end of both of these poles. He told me that these 20′ carbon fiber masts are so lightweight that there’s no need for guying the pole, even in fairly windy conditions. His simple tent spike is all that’s needed to hold a carbon fiber mast in place.

Videos

In the following video, Mike compares the Carbon 6 with the new Explorer mast and speaks to the utility of using a tent spike to secure the mast:

Thank you, Mike, for sharing this video and the tip about the new Explorer mast!

Again, it’s currently backordered at the time of posting, but you can place an order at GigaParts. The price is $79.95 plus shipping.