SCAM Telescopic Mast Series
Made for military use with heavy antennas. Stable when extended and easy to maintain. SCAM masts are not light weight! This fact is both advantage and disadvantage. When set up at Brigade or Divisional level, they can handle both message and data transmission antennas with ease.
The weight enables the mast to be set up on hardened surfaces, such as a cobbled farm yard and the guys, if necessary, attached to any convenient fixing.
The SCAM Series of masts was created in the mid 1960's to provide the military of several countries with a very stable field or vehicle mounted mast carrying the VHF/UHF antennas then in use. Headloads were a modest 10 kg and with few exceptions were always communication antennas. Weight of mast was not perceived as a particular handicap because other equipment generally was heavier than today.
Left: Photo of a packed SCAM Mast Kit ready for transport. Note the optional bags for packing field legs are not shown.
However, ruggedness was, although heavy, important and is vindicated by the fact that nearly 40 years later, original models are still serviceable and the design still current albeit improved in detail.
The advantage of fitting a mast with field legs is the ease with which the mast may subsequently be erected. Shown here is the normal set-up of a SCAM Field Mast with guys at 90°, positioning made easy by sighting on the field legs.
90° guying, although involving the driving of 4 pickets instead of 3 as in 120° guying, make pickets much less critical in positioning to give the erected mast stability. They also provide a 'ladder' for the operator to adjust the antenna, fix feeder cables etc. Vertical erection is assisted by a built-in bubble level.
Contents Of A Standard Scam 12 Mast Kit
Probably the most striking feature of the SCAM Series mast is the provision
of a steel box which houses and protects the mast and provides a fixation
for legs or vehicle mounting.
A ball bearing makes turning the mast effortless even with a very heavy headload. A brake is provided. The bottom of the mast 'box' fits into a field base plate which can tilt in two planes to accommodate sloping ground up to 20°. A protractor ring is fitted calibrated in increments of 5°. The top socket for the antenna attachment is 40 mm dia. Hand operated locking collars on each telescopic section of the mast allow sections to be individually locked in the extended or closed positions.
Feeder cables are prevented from flapping in the wind by the provision of rubber guide rings. At the top of the mast the collar, to which guys may be attached, is arranged to allow the mast and feeder cables to rotate 360° within the guy ropes. Although a handpump is included in the standard kit, when the mast is vehicle mounted, a small Clark Masts battery powered compressor is preferable.
| Item | Cat. No. | Description | Qty |
| Kit | 7051 | Scam 12 Mast kit complete | 1 |
| This Kit contains the following components: | |||
| 1 | 7048 | SCAM Mast unit | 1 |
| 2 | 7710 | Mast swivel nest assy. | 1 |
| 3 | 7029 | Prop stand | 1 |
| 4 | 3574 | Stepped field leg | 2 |
| 5 | 2336 | Plain field leg | 2 |
| 6 | 3508 | Handpump | 1 |
| 7 | 2484 | 24 inch guy picket | 4 |
| 8 | 6110 | Guy assembly | 4 |
| 9 | 6409 | Spiked picket | 4 |
| 10 | 2384 | Exhaust key | 1 |
| 11 | 2470 | Hose assembly | 1 |
| 12 | 2434 | Mast cover | 1 |
| 13 | 2932 | SCAM Accessory bag | 1 |
| 14 | B2621 | 4 lb Hammer | 1 |
| 15 | 7715 | Spanner | 1 |
All masts and components are NATO codified, environmentally tested and proved in military service since 1965.
The inclusion of item 3, Prop stand, enables the mast to be raised clear of the ground for antenna attachment. Then with 2 legs already fixed to the mast box, the whole can be lifted into the vertical position and the 3rd and 4th legs added. Legs are then adjusted with reference to the bubble level.
