Always secure your dishes...

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emuman100

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Dec 15, 2007
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Pennsylvania
The other day I notice the Weather Channel multiplex does not come in. I check the LNB power source and make sure it's working, and it is. I go outside and see what is in photo2.jpg. That isn't snow on the ground, that's sleet that has frozen into a sheet of ice, also. I forgot to secure it, actually. The rocks kept it from rolling down the ravine you see behind it. I've very thankful for that. What happened was, since it was pointed to AMC10, and since I'm in Northeast Pennsylvania, the elevation for AMC10 is 14.1 degrees. And the night before it happened, there was a wind in the direction of the reflector. Since the reflector is so large, the wind imparted a lot of force, and easily blew the dish down. I had about 300 or so pounds of weight holding down the dish, but I'll have to use some steel cable and brace it as well as the weight. The brakets supplied with the dish to screw or bolt ot down to whatever the dish is on were not installed, as I forgot to install them. How it normally looks is shown in photo.jpg.

The ravine you see in both pictures was the same ravine my 6 footer got blown down to. About 70 feet or so deep, it got blown down last winter. I had to roll it back up the hill. Now it's rock solid secured. If the 8 footer blew down, I'd have to dissaemble it to get it back up, because it's 150lbs. I will secure it though, I've either just forgot or have not had time. I just thought I'd share this experience, if not for the learning experience, at least a good laugh. :p
 

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Put some concrete in when summer hits and secure it right. You'll be happy you did :) My monster has braved 90 MPH winds with no problems.
 
hee hee

I had the same thing...had used a simple table and had it bolted down and the wind took the dish AND the table and flipped it

some pics of it on that table, after it fell off and where it is now (well the new one...the old one that fell got fixed and is in the garage now)
 

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Record snows here in the NW have decommissioned my 10' Unimesh. Was a good dish for the 11 years I have had it. May she rest in pieces. :(
 

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I think there is a dish like that up near Gold Bar that could be good for parts -- Oh, yeah, in this flood time, it could be long gone - forgot, it was on the edge of the water! I though I recognized that shed. May have been near Getchel though. Back road to Granite Falls.
 
Record snows here in the NW have decommissioned my 10' Unimesh. Was a good dish for the 11 years I have had it. May she rest in pieces. :(
Wow...that sux!:( Was it the weight of the snow, or "hell-ified" wind that did that?...or both? :eek:
 
Just the weight of the snow. Hadn't turned it on for a while as I mostly have been watching rtn on ku so didn't think of it. We had about 6' of snow here. In the past when I was using it I would keep it brushed off. Needless to say lessons are learned. When I get it fixed or a replacement up I will be out there protecting it for sure.
 
Always secure your dishes...

When I first read the topic, I had visions of marauding gangs, roaming around in the dark of night, stealing BUDs!
Pictures of a giant chain 'n padlock, attached to my precious Birdview ran through my mind! :eek:

By comparison, your wayward dish didn't seem quite so bad. :cool:
Still, a large chain to that circus-sized tent-stake in the ground, might be worthwhile! - :D
. . . whatever helps ya sleep at night . . . - :up
 
Pismire, looks like your mount is fine, just the dish frame broke, right?
I'd just locate another dish and fit it to the mount...
Also, something else I heard today... Siberia recorded a record low temp... where's Al Gore when you need him? Somebody has to do something about this global cooling...
 
You know some type of heating source on the back of the dish would have save it.
I think I am going to put some heated cable on the back of my dish
 
A little fire under it and make pizza.

Mine is mounted to an 8 foot piece of oil well drill stem. 4' in concrete and 4' above ground.

Still might not be strong enough.
 
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