A mast is a man-made support structure , commonly used on sailing ships as support for sails , or on land as radio masts and towers used to support telecommunication equipment such as radio antennas ( `` aerials '' in the UK ) . A guyed mast is a man-made support structure , commonly used on sailing ships as support for sails , or on land as a radio mast used to support telecommunication equipment such as radio antennas ( `` aerials '' in the UK ) .