Lifting a 10' BUD into place question

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ayelvington

ayelvington

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Jul 19, 2011
70
16
Russell, PA
Getting the 10' BUD (and mast) from my neighbor wasn't too bad. We cut the mast at the ground and lowered it with a winch while it hinged on the remaining metal of the mast.

Now comes the fun part.

The new mast is in the ground standing about 8' tall. I noticed a lift point on the back of the polar mount that we'll use, and a neighbor has offered to come over with her backhoe (I have very cool neighbors).

The question is: Any pointers on keeping the dish balanced and flop-free while putting it onto the mast? The feedhorn has been removed, so that's not an issue. I've been VERY careful to keep from bending the dish, so it's warp-free so far. Any suggestions or lessons learned from experience are gratefully appreciated. (I'd have rented a crane back in the day, but now it's MY money!)

I don't plan to do the installation until this weekend because of weather (HOT), concrete curing, and work schedules.

rsvp,

Al Yelvington
Russell, PA
 
It should be no sweat for an experienced backhoe operator.

Once you get used to your machine, you can even use it to pull on big wrenches, dismount truck tires, and remove or install engines.

If you don't have an expert operator available, idle it way down and take your time. No sudden movements.

You can steady the dish by hand if you trust the operator and the rigging, or use a rope or two if needed.

I set my 10 foot aluminum dish on its 7 foot pole by myself, using my old farm tractor's front end loader. Probably would have been easier and safer for the dish with a helper though.
 
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Two of us would, with the actuator removed, swing the mount all the way one way. Then, with the dish upright, and the mount against the pole aiming straight down, we'd slide it up the side of the pole and plop the mount on the top. A third person may be necessary to help aim the mount over the pole. But not often. (BITD anyway)
 
Thanks folks! Cindy is very good with Mags (her tractor/backhoe), and I like the idea of sliding the back of the dish against the mast for stability.

I'll let you all know how it works out :)
 
Some measurements on Cindy's backhoe revealed that it wouldn't be able to raise the dish high enough to mount on the pole. Cindy is a smart one though, and she suggested using my extension ladder as a gin-pole with a block on the top. Worked like a champ! Propped the ladder in place with the bucket on my tractor, and we used the winch on my utility vehicle for the lifting power. Photos to follow.
 
When I put my dish up (also a 10 footer) I took the mount off the dish and put it on the pole. I had a friend help me lean the dish up against the pole carefully. I climbed a stepladder behind the pole. Then I had the friend lift the dish from below as I guided it from a stepladder behind the pole. When the bolt holes lined up, I put the bolts in. The mesh dish is light so I think a backhoe is over kill. Plus, why risk damaging the dish? Mine is on an 8 foot pole.
 
10' BUD installation

Sorry for the delay with the photos. I spent the day in the woods (on the same tractor) clearing brush and cutting firewood for next winter. Yup, it's that time again. Anyway, here are some pictures of the dish-raising!

The bucket on the tractor is holding the extension ladder in place. There is a snatch block on the top of the ladder for the lift line connected to the dish.

SSPX0061.jpgSSPX0063.jpg

The winch line from the utility vehicle goes to a snatch block chained to the bottom of the post. The winch is slow (3,000 lb rating), so that gave us nice up-down control.
SSPX0064.jpg

SSPX0066.jpg
Anyway, the dish is resting on the post now, and I'm waiting for an opportunity to install the feedhorn and set the arc. I left the dish free, so it's making a good weather vane for the time being!
 
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Wow! That's pretty cool! Seeing how you did that almost makes me wanna believe I could put up a big dish all by myself next time. :)
 
Thanks to all for the support. I got the remote cable into the house before the first snow, so happy there. I bought an Openbox S10 for the HD feature and am dealing with an Eagle-Aspen stacked C-band LNB. I have the following issues remaining:

1. I think that I am ever so slightly off of the arc. It's more pronounced as I travel to my extreme east and west birds.

2. If you look at the photos, you'll see that I have a bluff to the west of the dish. I have to tweak the dish to get it to the horizon up there, and hopefully capture AMC-1 before I run out of sky!

3. I'm not getting all of the transponders that I should. I'm sure that there are mechanical tweaks that could be done (rotation, f/d, arc), but they may have to wait until dry weather returns. I'm enjoying NHK International (HD) for the time being, but I really want the goodies on AMC-1.
 
I think that I am ever so slightly off of the arc. It's more pronounced as I travel to my extreme east and west birds.
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Check your declination angle, use the modified declination angle from Footprints by Dish Size - Latitude Declination Chart - C/Ku-Band Satellite Listing Then readjust the elevation on your Zenith satellite, and adjust and check the sides of the arc again. If that doesn't improve tracking, there is a method that can be implimented to get it "right on"
mechanical tweaks that could be done (rotation, f/d
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It's a lot of up and down the ladder, but worth every step, getting the feed aligned. I'd do it on the side of the arc, so the feed is lower and not above the dish surface, making it so less reaching is necessary. Hope the weather "straightens up" for you.
 
I'm not getting all of the transponders that I should. I'm sure that there are mechanical tweaks that could be done (rotation, f/d, arc),
Click to expand...

You might consider investing in a First Strike Meter FS1 to help set you dish up, I've got one and it makes it so easy to find and adjust a dish. I even got a cable coming off my receiver loop output that I can hook up to the meter to help find other satellites.
 
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