Here are my personal opinions about pole lengths and styles. Others
probably won't agree.
I think you should buy the longest pole you can afford if you're
planning on using it at anything higher than low Cat 1 sites. The reason
is that longer poles have stiffer lower sections so at any given length
a longer pole (assuming equal quality) will be stiffer. A stiffer pole
is much preferable for steering b/c the top end will be easier to control.
A different discussion is what type pole to get. There are basically 2
types of poles - collapsible (telescopic) and put over. In a collapsible
pole the sections nest inside each other and extend by pulling the a
shorter section out until it locks into the top end of the next larger
section. Probably everyone is familiar with this type of pole.
In the put over pole you have to lay out all the sections as separate
pieces and then assemble the pole by putting each smaller section into
(or over) the socket in the top end of the next larger section.
Obviously this is a lot more trouble than extending a collapsible type
pole. But most of the people you see using long steering poles will opt
for this type of pole.
The collapsible poles have a couple of big drawbacks. The first is that
it is very difficult to change the length while your model is in the
air. They only work with all the sections pulled out and locked into
place. The only way to adjust the length is to use fewer sections. If
you need to lengthen or shorten the pole on short notice it is pretty
difficult to accomplish.
Another drawback is the possibility of the pole collapsing while you are
attempting to steer. This means you have to really make sure the
sections are pulled tight and it also means more possibility of the
sections getting jammed in that position. I've had both problems. The
first can be a disaster and the second can be a major pain to fix.
An advantage of the collapsible pole is that they generally close to a
shorter length than put over poles. I have one that is about 32" long
when closed while my put over pole is around 5' when stowed.
In our TTOMA flying site there is often a need for different pole
lengths depending on where the model is flying. With a put over pole
the usual technique is to have enough of the top sections of the pole
put together to reach the lower ceiling and to carry a couple of lower
sections that can be quickly assembled to the upper sections when needed.
Sorry this got so long but maybe it will save someone from an expensive
purchase that they aren't happy with.
On 7/21/2013 11:02 AM, James Taylor wrote:
> Should one have more than one length of pole? What lengths? Assuming
> that you only need one,
> what is the best "one size fits all" length to get?
> Thank you,
> James
>
> *From:* "mkirda_at_sbcglobal.net" <mkirda_at_sbcglobal.net>
> *To:* Indoor_Construction_at_yahoogroups.com
> *Sent:* Saturday, July 20, 2013 8:32 AM
> *Subject:* [Indoor_Construction] Re: Steering poles
> http://www.allfishingbuy.com/Fishing-Pole-14-18.htm
>
> Poles such as these have been recommended to me previously.
>
> I plan to get one later on this year so I can practice with it in Racine.
>
> Regards.
> Mike Kirda
>
> --- In mailto:Indoor_Construction%40yahoogroups.com, "linardic"
> <linardic_at_...> wrote:
> >
> > I am looking for a source of carbon steering poles 18-20 m. Can
> anyone reccomend a source or brand from their experience.
> >
>
>
Received on Sun Jul 21 2013 - 09:26:28 CEST