Abstract:
A structure for concealing and/or camouflaging emitters and/or receivers of electromagnetic radiation such as, for example, telecommunication antennas is disclosed. The structure may be formed from a panel comprising a light weight, substantially RF transparent poly-vinyl-chloride (“PVC”) foam material. The structure can be fabricated in many ways and in different configurations to hide a variety of telecommunication antennas such as, for example, cellular, omni, and PCS antennas. The structure can be used in varying configurations and sizes. Configurations of the structure can be glued, bolted, and or screwed to itself or other substrates that do not impede RF signals while maintaining different overall appearances, textures, and shapes to hide or camouflage the emitters and/or receivers of electromagnetic radiation.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/396,882, filed Jul. 18, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The invention relates generally to concealment and/or camouflage structures formed from a poly-vinyl-chloride (PVC) foam material for concealing transmitters and/or receivers of electromagnetic radiation such as, for example, telecommunication antennas.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    As the demand for cellular phones increases, the need for cellular towers must also increase to satisfy new and existing customers. With the build out of infrastructure underway for over 10 years, cellular towers have become an eyesore for many municipalities and homeowners. This has driven carriers to conceal (e.g., hide, camouflage, or disguise) antenna structures and attempt to cause such structures to visually blend in to the surroundings. Concealing the antenna structures has been accomplished using natural and/or artificial structures such as pine and palm trees, cactus, light poles, bell and clock towers, and flagpoles. When pole structures cannot be used, rooftops are consequently acquired and the buildings are screened using a variety of materials to match or blend in with the buildings existing architectural characteristics. Placing antennas within flagpoles has become one accepted approach for carriers to help hide their antennas.  
           [0004]    One issue faced with the construction of camoflauge structures is the selection of the appropriate material from which to construct such material. Because camouflage structures are typically used in connection with distinct and separate antenna elements—camouflage structures typically are not integrally formed with the antenna structures—the camouflage structure and the material from which it is formed must generally be selected so as to avoid undue interference with the electromagnetic radiation transmitted and/or received by the antenna. Moreover, because in most applications such concealment structures must be exposed to the environment, the structures and the material from which they are formed must be able to withstand minor impacts, extensive sunlight, rain, snow, etc.  
           [0005]    Conventionally, antenna concealment structures are formed from relatively hard, relatively solid materials, which are well known to withstand the environmental conditions described above. Such hard, solid materials include fiberglass, conventional ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), and common plastic. In certain applications, concealment panels have been formed that comprise an inner core of, for example, closed cell foam such as polystyrene, and a relatively hard outer skin layer formed from ABS. Such a panel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,424.  
           [0006]    In certain applications that typically involve relatively small antenna structures (e.g., of less than one foot in length and/or diameter), relatively hard materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic in the form of a PVC tube, have been used to conceal such an antenna. In such applications, the PVC is typically described as being a tube or a pipe structure indicating the relatively hard solid nature of the material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,072,984 describes the use of a PVC tube to enclose a cellular antenna, where the tube/antenna assembly has dimensions of twelve inches long and three inches in diameter. In other applications, involving larger antenna structures, the use of PVC for antenna containment structures involves the use of a PVC structure combined with some other material (e.g., acrylic) to form what appears to be a relatively dense structure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,102 describes the use of an acrylic PVC alloy sheet to form a radome housing. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,217 discloses an antenna assembly including a plastic cover that is described as being formed from either ABS or PVC.  
           [0007]    While ABS and solid PVC materials provide for the construction of durable, substantially weather-resistant structures, it has been discovered that such materials have an attenuating and/or distorting effect on electromagnetic radiation signals and, in particular, on RF signals passing through the ABS or solid PVC material. Such attenuation/distortion is undesirable as it may interfere with the proper functioning of the antenna concealed by the ABS or PVC containing structure. The attenuation/distortion is related to the relatively high dielectric constant of such materials. As is known, the dielectric constant of a material is a measure of the ability of electromagnetic signals to readily pass through the material. In general, air has a relative dielectric constant of approximately 1 and materials with relative dielectric constants of greater than one have a higher resistance to the transmission of electromagnetic signals than air. As reported by the ASI Instruments, Inc. Dielectric Constant Reference Guide, available as of Jul. 18, 2002 at &lt;http://www.asiinstr.com&gt;, the dielectric constant of ABS, Resin (Lump) is 2.4 to 4.1, the dielectric constant of ABS Resin (Pellet) is 1.5 to 2.5, the dielectric constant for polyvinyl chloride is 3.4, and the dielectric constant for polyvinylchloride resin is between 5.8 to 6.8.  
           [0008]    The concealment structure and method of assembling the same described herein overcomes the above-described and other problems and limitations of conventional structures.  
         SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE  
         [0009]    In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a concealment panel for an antenna structure includes a center core of foam composed of, for example, polystyrene, with sheets of expanded poly-vinyl-chloride (PVC) foam disposed on either side of the foam core. The expanded PVC sheets are disposed on the foam core so that they form a groove at one end and allow an exposed tongue of the foam core to extend from the other end of the panel. This tongue and groove arrangement provides a convenient way to affix multiple panels together for constructing a concealment structure  
           [0010]    In accordance with a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a sheet of expanded PVC foam is thermoformed or vacuum formed into a substantially half-cylinder shape. Two of these substantially half-cylinder panels are then bolted together to form a substantially cylindrical concealment structure that resembles, for example, a flag pole. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The foregoing summary, preferred embodiments, and other aspects of subject matter of the present disclosure will be best understood with reference to a detailed description, which follows, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIGS. 1A through 1C illustrates an embodiment of a concealment panel comprising a foam core with expanded PVC foam sheets disposed on opposite surfaces of the core and forming a tongue and groove system for attaching a plurality of such concealment panels to each other.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 2A through 3B illustrate another embodiment of a concealment panel and a technique for connecting concealment panels using biscuits.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIGS. 3A through 3C illustrate another technique for connecting concealment panels using connecting brackets.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIGS. 4A through 4B illustrate a concealment structure formed from a sheet of expanded PVC foam formed into a generally cylindrical shape for use as a flag pole, for example.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIGS. 5 through 9 illustrate various views of a flag pole structure having concealment panels and other assembly components according to certain teachings of the present disclosure. 
     
    
       [0017]    While the subject matter of the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. The figures and written description are not intended to limit the scope of the inventive concepts in any manner. Rather, the figures and written description are provided to illustrate the inventive concepts to any person skilled in the art by reference to particular embodiments, as required by 35 U.S.C. § 112.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]    Turning to the drawings and, in particular, to FIGS.  1 A- 1 C, a first embodiment of a concealment structure for use with transmitters and/or receivers of electromagnetic waves is illustrated. Although the present description will focus on an exemplary use of such a structure in connection with telecommunication antennas, it should be understood that the teachings of this disclosure are applicable to varying forms of transmitters and/or receivers of electromagnetic waves and may be used, for example, on other forms of transmitters/receivers, such as microwave devices, very high frequency (VHF) or ultrahigh frequency (UHF) devices, cellular, PCS, point-to-point service providers, and omni antennas. The described structure may also be used to conceal transmitting and receiving devices intended for short length transmissions, such as wireless internet devices and Bluetooth devices.  
         [0019]    In general, the concealment structure comprises a generally rectangular panel  10  having dimensions sufficient to enable the construction of an antenna concealment structure sufficiently large to conceal a telecommunications antenna or antenna system. In the exemplary embodiment and as best shown in FIG. 1C, the panel  10  has a width W 1  of approximately four feet and an length L 1  of approximately eight feet (4′×8′), although alternate embodiments with dimensions of, for example, 4×10′ and 4′×12′ are envisioned. The panel  10  is laminated and is formed from a foam core  12  positioned between two sheets  14   a  and  14   b  formed of an expanded foam PVC material. The foam core  12  may be formed from any suitable foam material such as, for example, polystyrene. A suitable material may be obtained from the Dow Chemical Company in the form of Load 40 Extruded Foam Insulation. While the dimensions of the foam core  12  will vary from application to application, the foam core  12  in the illustrated embodiment is two inches thick, four feet in width, and eight feet in length. Although the present embodiment includes a panel  10  having a foam core  12  positioned between two sheets  14   a  and  14   b , alternative embodiments of a panel could include a foam core  12  with only one sheet of expanded foam PVC attached.  
         [0020]    In the illustrated example, the foam core  12  is positioned between the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  in an offset fashion such that an approximately four inch high H “tongue” portion  13   a  of the foam core  12  is exposed along one edge of the panel  10  and a four inch deep D “groove” portion  13   b  is established along the opposing edge of the panel  10 . The construction of the tongue portion  13   a  and groove portion  13   b  provides a ready means of coupling multiple panels  10  together by fitting a tongue portion  13   a  of one panel  10  into the groove portion  13   b  in another panel  10 . Typically, glue, caulk, or other adhesive may be used to adhere the coupling of the tongue portion  13   a  to the groove portion  13   b.    
         [0021]    Alternate embodiments are envisioned whether the foam core  12  is positioned flush with the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  such that there are no exposed core sections. In such embodiments, glue, brackets, biscuits, and other techniques may be used to couple multiple core segments to one another. When biscuits are used, such as disclosed in more detail in FIGS. 2A through 2B, the biscuits may be formed of wood, PVC, expanded PVC foam, or fiberglass. For a panel having the dimensions of the panel  10  of FIGS.  1 A- 1 C, biscuits having a size of approximately 10-mm thickness by one foot in length may be used to connect the panels together.  
         [0022]    It has been discovered that the use of expanded foam PVC to form the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  on the panel  10  for a concealment structure of multiple panels provides for a level of product durability and electromagnetic radiation transparency that has not been available from concealment structures formed from conventional materials (e.g., ABS or non-expanded, non-foam PVC material). Moreover, it has been found that expanded PVC material has a strength sufficient to withstand the loads that exist for concealment structures of a size sufficient to conceal standard telecommunication antenna assemblies. For example in a flagpole-type structure, the use of expanded PVC foam material with a thickness of 10 mm has been found sufficient to withstand winds forces of 125 m.p.h.  
         [0023]    In the example of FIGS.  1 A- 1 C, each of the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  is formed form an expanded PVC foam material. The expanded PVC foam material may be a suitable PVC foam material formed, for example, by entraining air or another suitable gas into a PVC compound such that a relatively light, low density foam material is formed. The expanded PVC foam material will have a dielectric constant that is substantially lower than the dielectric constant for conventional, PVC materials. The precise value of the dielectric constant of the expanded PVC foam material will vary depending on the degree to which the PVC material has been expanded. In general, however, it has been discovered that desired results are obtained when the expansion of the PVC material is controlled such that the dielectric constant of the expanded foam material is equal to two or less and, in one embodiment, is on the order of 1.8. The dielectric constant of the material may be determined according to the procedures of ASTM D-150 at a frequency of 1 kHz.  
         [0024]    As best shown in FIG. 1B, the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  of expanded PVC foam material preferably have a width W 2  sufficient to protect the foam core  12  from undue damage. While the precise desirable width W 2  will vary from application to application, it has been discovered that a width W 2  for the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  between approximately 4-mm and 10-mm is often desirable. The outer portions  15  of the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  may be painted or textured to provide various aesthetic or camouflage features and may, for example, reproduce the appearance of a stucco material or brick. Alternately, if the panel  10  is to be used to conceal a structure in a ceiling, the panel  10  may take the form of a ceiling tile.  
         [0025]    The composition of the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  of expanded PVC foam does not need to be consistent across the width of the sheets  14   a  and  14   b . For example, each sheet  14   a  and  14   b  of expanded PVC foam may have an interior core of expanded PVC material and relatively a thin integral hard outer skin surface. To protect against ultraviolet (UV) degradation, the expanded PVC foam may include some form of UV protectant. One suitable material for use in constructing the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  is the InteFoam product available from the World-Pak Division of Inteplast Group, Ltd.  
         [0026]    In one embodiment of the laminated panel  10 , the foam core  12  may be attached to the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  using tape. A suitable tape for the panel  10  is manufactured by 3M, which has product No. 3m  964  and comes in a 24″ wide role. To connect a sheet  14   a  to the core  12 , the tape is applied onto substantially the entire surface of the sheet  14   a  or the core  12 , and the two are then pressed together. The adhesion is then allowed to cure over time with pressure applied. In another embodiment of the laminated panel  10 , the core  12  may be attached to the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  with any suitable adhesive. It has been discovered that urethane adhesives are desirable, as they do not significantly interfere with the electromagnet radiation passing through the panel  10 . It has been also discovered that the thickness of an adhesive layer  16  must be selected to provide suitable adhesion, yet avoid interfering with the transmitted or received radiation. A thickness for the adhesive layer  16  of between 3 to 10-mils has been found to be desirable for many applications. One suitable urethane adhesive is the LORD 7610 or 7660 urethane adhesive available from the Lord Corporation.  
         [0027]    To provide the best adhesion between the sheets  14   a  and  14   b  and the foam core  12 , it has been found beneficial to roughen the surfaces of the expanded PVC foam sheets  14   a  and  14   b  and the foam core  12  to be adhered together. Such surface roughening may be accomplished by using a suitable abrasive material, such as sandpaper, for the expanded PVC foam sheet  14   a  and  14   b  and by using a wire brush for the foam core  12 .  
         [0028]    In addition to providing for a structure having a dielectric constant that allows for beneficial transmission of electromagnetic waves and, in particular, RF waves, the use of an expanded PVC foam material in the construction of concealment structures as disclosed herein allows for the construction of concealment structures having a variety of configurations that enhance the ability to hide and/or camouflage structures. Such configurations may involve the use of expanded PVC sheet materials without the use of a foam core. Examples of such embodiments are provided in FIGS. 2A through 2B, which generally illustrates panels composed of a single sheet of expanded PVC sheet and are provided in FIGS. 4A through 4C, which generally illustrate a two-piece radome housing.  
         [0029]    Referring to FIGS. 2A through 2B, another embodiment of concealment panels  10   a  and  10   b  is illustrated in front and side views. In the present embodiment, the panels  10   a  and  10   b  are each formed from a single sheet of expanded PVC foam material. The single sheet of expanded PVC foam material may have a thickness of about 30-mm and may have a width of four feet in width and a length of eight feet, ten feet, or twelve feet, for example. As noted above, glue, brackets, biscuits, and other techniques may be used to couple the panels  10  to one another. In the present embodiment of FIGS. 2A through 2B, one embodiment of a technique for connecting the concealment panels  10   a  and  10   b  is illustrated that uses biscuits  18 . Ends of the panels  10   a  and  10   b  are routed to form central grooves  17 . The biscuits  18  may be formed of wood, PVC, expanded PVC foam, or fiberglass, for example. The biscuits  18  are inserted into the central groove  17  of one panel  10   a  and a caulk is applied to secure the biscuits  18 . A suitable caulk material includes NP1™ polyurethane sealant manufactured by Sonneborn Products. Caulk is then applied in the groove  17  of the other panel  10   b  to be adjoined, and the free ends of the biscuits  18  are then fit into the groove  17  of the other panel  10   b  to connect the panels. In the illustrated embodiment, three biscuits  18  are shown, but any number and size of biscuits  18  can be used. For example, the biscuits  18  may have a size of approximately 10-mm thickness by one foot in length to connect the panels  110   a  and  10   b.    
         [0030]    Referring to FIGS. 3A through 3C, another embodiment of a technique for connecting concealment panels  10   a  and  10   b  using connecting brackets  20  and  30  is illustrated. As best shown in FIG. 3A, a first bracket  20  is an elongated strip of material, preferably PVC or ABS, that has a plurality of through holes  22  and has side flanges  24  and  26  along its length. The bracket  20  may be about 4-feet in length and about 2-inches in width, and the through holes  22  may be positioned about every 6-inches along the length of the bracket  20 . As best shown in FIG. 3B, a second bracket  30  is also an elongated strip of material, preferably metal, that has a plurality of keyway slots  32  and has side flanges  34  and  36  along its length. The bracket  30  may also be about 4-feet in length and about 2-inches in width, and the keyway slots  32  may be positioned about every 6-inches along the length of the bracket  30 .  
         [0031]    As best shown in the side view of FIG. 3C, the first bracket  20  is attached to an end of one panel  10   a , and the second bracket  30  is attached to an end of another panel  10   b . In the present embodiment, the panels  10   a  and  11   b  may be substantially similar to those described above in FIGS.  1 A- 1 C having foam cores  12  and side sheets  14   a  and  14   b , although this is not strictly necessary as the brackets  20  and  30  can be used to connect other disclosed embodiments of concealment panels. The brackets  20  and  30  are each fit with their flanges  24 ,  26  and  34 ,  36  embedded or installed in the end of the panels  10   a  and  10   b , respectively. For this purpose, the foam cores  12  of the panels  10   a  and  10   b  may be cut to create suitable grooves to the brackets  20  and  30 . Preferably, the brackets  20  and  30  are affixed to the ends of the panels  10   a  and  10   b  with an adhesive or with a caulk, such as NP™. To connect the brackets  20  and  30  together, fasteners  40 , preferably made of nylon, are threaded into the through holes  22  of the first brackets  20 . Then, the heads of the fasteners  40  are interlocked into the keyway slots  32  of the second bracket  30 , and the concealment panels  10   a  and  10   b  are connected together.  
         [0032]    Referring to FIGS. 4A through 4B, another embodiment of concealment panels  52  is illustrated for forming a radome housing  50 . In FIG. 4A, the radome housing  50  is shown in an end view. In the present embodiment, a first, generally semicircular panel  52   a  and a second, generally semicircular panel  52   b  are used to form the radome housing  50 . The panels  52   a  and  52   b , one of which is shown in a lengthwise view in FIG. 4B, are substantially identical and are designed and shaped such that they may fit together to form the substantially cylindrical radome housing  50 . The radome housing  50  can have a diameter D from about 6-inches to 42-inches. Use of only two such panels  52   a  and  52   b  is suitable when the diameter D of the radome housing  50  is less than about 28-inches. For a radome housing with the diameter D larger that 28-inches, three or more panels  52  are preferably used.  
         [0033]    First edges  54  of each panel  52  form recesses, and second edges  56  form overlaps. As best shown in FIG. 4A, these edges  54  and  56  overlap each other to form a seam when the substantially cylindrical radome housing  50  is formed. Fasteners  58  with washers can be used along the overlapping edges  52  and  54  to connect the vertical seams of the housing  50 . The fasteners  58  are preferably made of acrylic or plastic to avoid interference with any electromagnetic radiation to be passed through the housing  50 . As best shown in FIG. 4C in which one of the panels  52  is shown lengthwise, the overlap edge  56  of the panel  50  can have slotted holes  57  for the fasteners  58 , and the recessed edge  54  can have through holes  55  into which the fasteners  58  can be threaded or press fit, depending on the type of fastener used. At the locations of the through holes  55 , plastic threaded members or nuts (not shown) for mating with the fasteners  58  are preferably attached to the inside surface of the panel  50  by heat or solvent welding. The panel  52  may have a length L 2  from about 6-feet to 10-feet, and the holes  55  and  57  can be spaced about every foot along the length L 2 . Mounting slots  53 , which are preferably elongated to allow for adjustments and fitting, are formed at the ends of the panels  52 . Preferably, about four to six mounting slots  53  are formed at each end of the panel  52 . Fasteners (not shown), such as conventional bolts and nuts or U-clips, are used to attach to the ends of the panel  52  to attachment plates (not shown) on an antenna mounting spool or other antenna assembly. Metal fasteners can be used at the ends of the panel  52  because issues of interference are of less concern. Although not illustrated, a radome or other antenna assembly, such as an antenna mounting spool, may be placed within the central bore  51  defined by the radome housing  50 . The radome housing  50  is particularly useful for creating a flagpole like structure to conceal and/or camouflage antenna assemblies.  
         [0034]    In FIG. 4B, the cross sectional dimensions of the semicircular panels  52  is generally illustrated. The panel  52  may be formed by taking a generally flat sheet of expanded PVC foam material having a dielectric constant as described above (i.e., less than 2 and preferably in the vicinity of 1.8) and forming the sheet into the shape depicted in FIGS. 4A through 4C. It has been discovered that a thermoform process may be used to form the panels  52 , although other forming processes may be used (e.g., vacuum forming). In general, the dimensions of the sheet before the forming process should be such that the final thickness T of the expanded PVC foam material forming the panel  52  has a thickness of between 4-mm and 10-mm. Because the expanded PVC foam sheet may have a tendency to collapse slightly during a thermoforming or vacuum forming process, the thickness T of the product after forming will often be less than the thickness of the original sheet before forming. In one example, a 10-mm original sheet has been found to collapse to about 4-mm thickness T after thermoforming. In addition, it may be preferred that the panel  52  is thicker in the center than at the edges  54  and  56 , which can be accomplished using a convex or male mold during the thermoforming or vacuum forming process.  
         [0035]    Referring to FIGS. 5 through 9, a flag pole structure  100  using concealment panels and other assembly components according to certain teachings of the present disclosure is illustrated in various views. As best shown in FIG. 5, the flag pole structure  100  includes a support pole  102 , a cleat  104 , a halyard rope  110 , one or more radome housings  50 , an end cap  160 , and a flag truck assembly  170 . In addition, the flag pole structure  100  can include a ball  180  or a truck cap  190 . The support pole  102  can be similar to a conventional pole mounted in the ground, foundation, or other structure. The one or more radome housings  50  are mounted above the support pole  102  and form a portion of the flag pole structure  100 . In addition, the one or more radome housings  50  conceal and/or camouflage an antenna assembly (not visible in FIG. 5). The end cap  160  is mounted on the end of the last radome housings  50 . The flag truck assembly  170  is mounted to the end cap  170 , and the ball  180  or truck cap  190  can be mounted onto the flag truck assembly  170 . The halyard rope  110  typically has swivel snaps  114  to hold a flag (not shown) and a counter weight  112 . The rope  110  is wound through a pulley assembly on an arm of the flag truck assembly  170  and is wound around the cleat  104  attached to the support pole  102  with fasteners  106  and bolts  108 .  
         [0036]    Referring to FIG. 6, the attachment of one radome housing  50  to the support pole  102  and the other assembly components of the flag pole structure  100  is shown in more detail. A mounting pipe or spool  120  for the antenna assembly has a cable opening  122  along its length. Typically, the mounting spool  120  can have antennas, such as PCS or cellular antennas, mounted thereon using antenna brackets known in the art. The mounting spool  120  has flanges  124  at both ends thereof. Preferably, the flanges  122  are attached to the mounting spool  120  with turrets  121 , and the flanges  124  typically have opening for the passage of cables. Separate panel mounting rings  130 , also having similar opening for the passage of cables, are attached to both flanges  124  with a plurality of bolts  138  and nuts  139 . Preferably, about twelve bolts  138  and nuts  139  are used for a flag pole structure  100  having a general diameter of about 28-inches or less. Use of the separate panel mounting rings  130  facilitates assembly. Prior art assembly techniques have required welding of plate to the flanges  124  of the mounting spool  120 .  
         [0037]    The panel mounting rings  130  have panel mounting plates  132  positioned around the ring  130  that define holes and U-clips  134  for attaching to the concealment panels  52   a  and  52   b  of the radome housing  50 . As described in more detail above, the radome housing  50  includes a plurality of substantially identical concealment panels  52 . Each panel  52  has a recessed edge  54  with through holes  55  and has an overlap edge  56  with slotted holes  57 . Each panel  52  also has slotted mounting holes  53  on both ends. One panel  52   b  is attached to the mounting plates  132  of the mounting rings  130  using metal fasteners  59  positioned in the slotted mounting holes  53  of the panel  52   b  and threaded into the U-clips  134  in the mounting plates  132 . The other panel  52   a  is similarly attached to the mounting plates  132 , and the seams formed between the adjoining recessed and overlap edges  54  and  56  are connected by plastic fasteners  58 . Accordingly, any cables and/or antennas (not shown) can be concealed and protected within the radome housing  50 . Furthermore, the radome housing  50  according to the teachings of the present disclosure provides substantial electromagnetic radiation transparency, as described above.  
         [0038]    Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the attachment of more than one mounting spool  120  and radome housing  50  is illustrated for flag pole structures requiring numerous antennas or greater height. In FIG. 7A, two mounting spools  120  to be mounted one on top of the other are shown in an exploded view. Two mounting rings  130  are sandwiched between adjacent flanges  124  on the mounting spools  120 . Holes  136  in the mounting rings  130  are aligned with holes  126  in the flanges  124 , and the mounting plates  132  on the adjoining rings  130  are also aligned. Bolts  136  are passed through the holes  126  and  136 , and nuts  138  are torque wrench tightened thereon to connect the mounting spools  120 . In addition, washers are preferably used, and horseshoe shims  137  are prefrably positioned between the adjoining mounting rings  130 , if required. As best shown in FIG. 7B, pairs of concealment panels  52   a  and  52   b  can be connected to each section of the assembly using fasteners  58  and  59  to form adjacent and connected radome housings  50  for the flag pole structure.  
         [0039]    Referring to FIG. 8, components at the top of the flag pole structure  100  are illustrated in an exploded view. The flange  124  of a last mounting spool  120  of the flag pole structure  100  is shown with a mounting ring  130  positioned thereon. Before any concealment panels (not shown) of a radome housing are attached to the last spool  120 , a cap adapter  140  is mounted on the mounting ring  130  and flange  124 . The cap adapter  140  is preferably composed of steel. The cap adapter  140  has four wings  142  with holes  146  and attaches to the aligned holes in the ring  130  and flange  124  using bolts  148  and nuts  149 . The cap adapter  140  also has a central mounting plate  150  that extends beyond the wings  142  and has a central threaded opening  152 . Holes  154  and indentations are formed around the periphery of the central mounting plate  150 , and U-clips  156  are positioned at each of the holes  154  and indentations. Once the concealment panels (not shown) are attached to the mounting spool  120  as described previously, the cap  160  fits over the cap adapter  140 . The cap  160  is preferably composed of PVC that has been thermoformed. Preferably, the cap  160  has a rim  164  that overlaps the ends of the concealment panels. The cap  160  has a cap plug  162  about 2.5-inches in diameter and attaches to the mounting plate  150  with fasteners  166  that mate with the U-clips  156  on the central mounting plate  150 .  
         [0040]    As best shown in FIG. 9, the top of the flag pole structure  100  is illustrated in a partially assembled view. As noted above, the cap  160  can have a cap plug ( 162  in FIG. 8). If the structure is to be used as a flagpole, the plug is removed and the flag truck assembly  170  is mounted on the cap  160 . The flag truck assembly  170  includes a head  172 , a shaft, and an arm  174 . The head  172  includes a bearings or the like and is rotatably mounted about the shaft  173 . One end of the shaft  173  installs through the opening in the cap  160  and threads into the threaded opening ( 152  of the central mounting plate  150  of FIG. 8). The arm  174  is preferably bifurcate and has a pulley or wheel  176  positioned therein. The position of the pulley  176  can be adjusted along the length of the arm  174  depending on the diameter of the flagpole structure  100 . A plurality of adjustment holes are provided along the length of the arm  174  for that purpose. The halyard rope  110  is passed over the pulley  176 . In FIG. 9, the ball  180 , which can be composed of fiberglass, has an end  182  that attaches with fasteners  183  to another end of the shaft  173  extending beyond the head  172  of the flag truck assembly  170 . For the flag pole structure  100  having diameters greater 28-inches, an extension with pulley can be attached to the arm  174  using the adjustment holes along the length of the arm. Depending on grounding preferences, a ground cable for lightning can be attached to the truck  170 , the ball  180 , or other component.  
         [0041]    The foregoing description of preferred and other embodiments is not intended to limit or restrict the scope or applicability of the inventive concepts conceived of by the Applicant or defined in the appended claims. In exchange for disclosing the inventive concepts contained herein, the Applicant desires all patent rights afforded by the appended claims. It is intended that the inventive concepts defined by the appended claims include all modifications and alterations to the full extent that such modifications or alterations come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.