Carbon Fibre boom poles are expensive, however, carbon fibre telescoping
fishing net poles are not. So, why not cross over?
The Fox Match Conspiracy 2
piece 3M Carbon Composite Telescopic Landing Net Handle, is available at wackerbaits.com for $36.99 plus shipping. It is listed as the Net Handle, Foc
Conspiracy 3.0m. It can support about 16lbs and is extremely light weight. The
drawback is that the extension is a compression type that only locks at the
maximum extension of 3 meters. So it is either 1.5 meters or 3 meters. Nothing
in between. I'm willing to deal with that. Another drawback is that the
microphone cable will have to be wrapped around the outside of the pole. No
fancy internal deals here. I'm willing to deal with these issues at this price
point. The other issue was that the thread is too course for anything relating
to the film or audio world. So I purchased a 5/8-27 die to cut external threads
on the pole end. This is the thread size of a standard microphone stand.
Here you go, simple:
Here is the pole collapsed to about 1.5 meters.
This die is used to cut a 27 count thread onto a 5/8" diameter rod. The tip
of this carbon fibre pole happens to be just under 5/8" so I was in luck. It
works well. Use some type of oil when cutting and make sure you are threading it
one straight. Also, make sure to grip the brass tip of the pole only, not the
carbon fibre part. You might break it.
When cutting, back off and clear the metal chips away frequently. The die and
handle can be had for about $20 online. I paid a tad bit more from a local tool
supplier, but didn't have to pay shipping so it about evened out. I've seen the
die online for about $11.
Here is the label on the pole. I believe that Fox is an English company and
the female thread on the tip is course and useless for audio applications
Here is a shot of the joint. I call it a compression joint, but more simply
put, these two pieces are tapered tubes. The smaller one remains inside and
slides out to telescope. I suppose you could extend it only partway and gaffer's
tape it in place if medium lengths are required..
