Tactical Mini - Compact ultra-portable 6 m (19.6 ft) mast

£48.50
(Inc. Tax)
£40.42
(Ex. Tax)

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SKU:
CUPM-100
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The 'Tactical Mini' Compact ultra-portable 6 metre telescopic mast

K8UA reviews the Tactical Mini

  • Small enough to fit in a rucksack
  • Tall enough to support your antenna
  • Light enough to hike up a mountain
  • Strong enough to withstand nature's worst

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Lightweight portable operators need something special to support their antennas. The Tactical Mini has been designed for exactly this role. In the most demanding conditions, the Tactical Mini will not let you down. The Tactical Mini is a great support for our popular Band Hopper 2 and Band Hopper 3 antennas (but is not recommended for the Band Hopper 4, which is best used with a longer pole due to its larger size). The Tactical Mini is perfect to support a ground-plane antenna for 20m, dipoles and end-fed halfwave antennas.

***SHIPPING***: Due to the shape of this item, your order may be sent in separate shipments. Please contact us if you'd prefer your order to be shipped as one.

Features

  • Heavy gauge pole sections—the perfect balance of strength, stiffness and weight for more demanding applications
  • Super short packed length for easy transport in a rucksack
  • Fits in aircraft carry-on baggage (always check before flying!)
  • The very best extended length for tactical use in extreme conditions
  • Telescopic - perfect for rapid deployment
  • Military colours for low visual signature
  • Camouflage carry bag with draw string
  • Built-in base shock absorber
  • Non-conducting low-loss fibreglass construction
  • Hollow top-section allows wires to be fed through
  • Screw-cap base allows field repairs and section swap-outs
  • Perfect for use with our Band Hopper antenna range

"Every lightweight portable specialist needs a Tactical Mini in their armoury"

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The Tactical Mini is our most compact premium mast

Optional Accessories:

Also available from our international agent(s):  
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Detailed Specifications:

Not sure which mast to choose? Click here for our handy comparison chart.

Extended length: 6 metres (19.6 ft). Lengths approximate - click here to find out more.

Packed length: 56 cm (22.1 inches)

Number of sections: 13

Wall thickness: 1 mm (0.04 inches) bottom, 1 mm (0.04 inches) top

Weight:  0.75 kg (1.65 lbs)

Mast Material: heavy-duty glass-fiber composite (non-conducting for best RF performance)

Tube diameter: top 4 mm (0.16 inches) base 39 mm (1.53 inches)

Base cap diameter: 45 mm (1.78 inches)

Tube colour: Pantone 19-0622 TPX Military Olive

Mast sections hollow to the top

Supplied with camouflage carry bag with drawstring

High impact foam shock absorber built into base. 

Notes:

The mast is made of Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) = Fiberglass. This is an insulator with excellent RF properties (very low loss).

The packed length can be reduced slightly by removing the top and bottom caps - useful in some airline carry-on bags. The maximum dimension for an airline carry-on bag  is typically 56 x 35 x 22 cm.

Friction lock: pull each section firmly with a twisting motion for best lock. When erecting always start with the smallest section. When taking down always start with the largest section.

Mast sections may be removed by unscrewing the endcap at the bottom of the mast, pulling out the shock absorber and removing unwanted sections. Always replace the shock absorber before use.

Some masts may have a few small paintwork defects (scratches or marks). These should not affect the structural integrity of the mast, just the visual appearance.
Instruction leaflet

Spares Support:

The Tactical Mini is a premium product so naturally we provide spares support:

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All dimensions approximate.

 

16 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews

  • 5
    Fantastic

    Posted by John on 6th Oct 2023

    I love this mast! It's relatively compact and not terribly heavy. I'd definitely take with me for sota and pota

  • 5
    Compact ultra-portable 6 m (19.6 ft) mast

    Posted by G8NFZ on 16th May 2020

    Just exactly what it says. Very robust. Will fit in standard plumbing clips (it that's your thing). Many possible uses. Careful where you put it in its bag, you might lose it!

  • 5
    Compact ultra-portable 6 m (19.6 ft) mast

    Posted by Mat - ZL4NVW on 21st Mar 2020

    Very lightweight. Very compact. But seems rugged enough to do the job for portable backcountry operation. Have been using it with an 80m EFHW over it in inverted V. Worst conditions were in 70kph winds with no issues but a lot of bending int he pole. Not sure I'd want to take it much beyond that. Guying point (with optional guy kit) feels a little low in high winds - but drilling out a new plastic ring to a smaller diameter to go higher on the pole would remedy that. I have had a few occasions where the 'twist-locked' sections have unlocked (telescoped back down). Not sure if that has been me not locking them tight enough or a design issue. Will watch and report back if i get to the bottom of that one.

  • 4
    So far so good!

    Posted by Chris Rae on 10th Feb 2020

    Again, this product really does just do what it says on the tin. Very easy to deploy, a good length and and a good weight. The supplied bag has begun to self-destruct quite significantly along the primary seam after owning it for approximately a month, but that is hardly an essential item and will just be ditched. The container seems rugged enough for field use, the bag just adds a "tacti-cool" camouflage element. ;) I would buy again, I suspect it will serve me well in the future.

  • 5
    Most packable ,mast

    Posted by Kelly Breed on 27th Jan 2020

    I have had this only long enough to get out on the trail once with it, but that was enough to convince me that this mast is a gem. It is short enough to fit inside my pack and it much lighter than the first mast I was using. Using the Band-Springer Midi with this mast and only two stakes I was able to stand the antenna up. This, however, requires some pretty calm conditions and I removed the top section for greater rigidity. With the above rig I lucked right into some chaser points for a SOTA in progress! Great fun...

  • 4
    Well built, very light, but requires care.

    Posted by Wojciech on 26th Dec 2019

    Requires good care when extending and stowing. You need to think ahead before attaching the load, because there's no hook, eye or anything on the end of the last section. Once you're through this preps, it's a great field tool.

  • 5
    Great antenna support

    Posted by Kun on 11th Nov 2019

    Really great for portable or home antenna setup. Really easy to put it up and down. Strong enough and light enough.

  • 5
    Tactical Mini 6m mast

    Posted by Linas Balsys LY2H on 8th Nov 2019

    I like this mast for its superb quality. It is very rigid and it allows to use its full 6m length to support a light dipole even on the very top segment. I tried it out with my portable 2X13m doublet. The mast does not bend under the weight of the antenna. I also tried it out with the W3EDP shortened 80-10m antenna with part of it going up the mast and the rest 7m sloping down to the other support. I like the mast being very stable with no tendency to self-collapse. The only drawback I can name is a bottom cap which makes the diameter of the mast bigger at that place and it makes problematic to fit the mast for mounting inside some other tube. But this is a minor problem since there are numbers of other ways to mount the Mini up.

  • 5
    A great mast for air travel

    Posted by Denis Svechkarev on 29th Sep 2019

    I've just recently purchased the Tactical Mini, thus only tested it several times. It's a very compact and lightweight mast that fits my carry-on bag, although very stable and sturdy in 30+ mph wind gusts. Very well made, and the communication with SOTABEAMS exceeded all my expectations! Here's more about my first impressions: http://k8ua.com/2019/09/travel-friendly-mast-to-support-a-wire-antenna/. Looking forward to deploy it in the field on a couple planned trips soon!

  • 5
    Tactical Mini Compact ultra-portable 6 m (19.6 ft) mast

    Posted by Lloyd K3ESE on 28th Aug 2019

    Having a lot of trees in my part of the world, I've never acquired one of these poles, previously. But wanting to operate in some locations where lines are not permitted in the trees, I decided to get this 6m pole, as it was just about right for using with my Bandhopper antenna, or a number of other portable antennas, such as a 17' vertical, or an EFHW, configured as an inverted L. This pole is pretty light, sturdy and stiff, able to hold up the Bandhopper and its feedline, without much of a bend. The Bandhopper and this pole set up in minutes, so you can operate from practically anywhere. I've constructed a 2' long 2" PVC pipe with a 10" spike at the bottom, to allow this pole to be deployed with other antennas, with no additional guying needed. The entire pole, in its carrying bag, fits within this tube for transport, with space to spare.