Hello, new to the forum and a beginner purple martin landlord. I'm designing my own pole to establish a colony for purple martins. I have a question I hope is posted in the right forum; I want to use metal EMT pipe for the basis of my pole but have concerns re wind resistance. I thought to use a 2" EMT pole (2 sections at 10' each), placed in a ground sleeve (3' depth below ground) with concrete, then attach 1-1/2" angle iron to the pole. Now, I could put it inside or outside the pole. I also wonder should I attach it on the windward side or downwind side? With the 'V' toward the wind on the windward side or the open portion on the downwind side? Too, better inside the 2" EMT or on the outside? I have to work with 6' lengths and figure if on the outside of the EMT, I'll hose clamp them. What would be the best/most economical way of bracing this pole against wind storms? The load would be 8 plastic gourds initially with 8 more planned for the future. They'll be hung on a rack that can be winched up and down this pole. So total height will be about 16' in the air above ground, 3' in a sleeve with concrete in the ground. Is there a better/economical way to brace the pole than the angle iron? I thought about using smaller diameter EMT inside, and/or smaller diameter sleeved inside to make it telescoping, but the diameter would then get smaller and didn't know if that was better or worse. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Using 2" EMT pipe as the main support structure is a good choice, as it's relatively strong and lightweight. It should be able to handle the load of your plastic gourds and rack.
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