Hello everyone,
Sorry if this seems to be a mundane question. I just want to do things the right way. I am using a Leica 1200 setup (GX1230 Base+SmartRover ATX1230) and I just recently bought my first external radio. It is a Pac Crest PDL4535 450-470Mhz and it was programmed by Steve Watson from Carpow GPS Repair Australia. Below is the pictures of my "new " used/refurbished PDL4535 radios when the package just arrived a few days ago.
Now, from several illustrations on the internet, I noticed that many surveyors use the special aluminum tripod+embedded radio antenna mast.Something like the picture below (generic vector photo).
I have managed to find these tripod models from Leica, SECO and Pacific Crest. Although I really love these designs, these are all pricey at $500+. Also, it is going to be cost-prohibitive for a student like me to buy them, pay for the hefty FedEx shipping for such a heavy item, then get slammed by import taxes (I live in Madagascar).
So, I wonder if there are more viable methods for setting up a UHF external radio antenna. The one I am thinking about putting the UHF antenna on top of a 5section-5m pole and attach it to a thumb-release tripod like the illustration below. There are cheap ones that cost around $60 from Alibaba and I can buy with sea shipping from China to Madagascar which is much cheaper even though it's super slow (I can wait).
Do you think this is an appropriate way to set up an UHF antenna or is there any other method that I should be aware of? Is the thumb-release tripod sturdy enough for this purpose or is it too unstable/inadequate for such a task? Thanks a lot for your answers and I wish you all a great week ahead.