AT9 Physical Measurements

[DirectMan]

I am considering signing up for the HD package and getting the AT9 dish installed but unsure about the mounting location. I am thinking about having the base mounted on the wall of the house just under the eaves, so the dish itself clears the eaves and is above the roof slope plane. Can someone who has the dish already installed tell me the following measurements:

1. Horizontal distance between the wall (base mounted perpendicular to the ground) and the top of the steel tube where it is perpendicular to the ground. (i.e. what is the minimum clearance I need between the wall and the eaves - will I need to have the base mounted on a wood platform attached to the wall to give me extra clearance?).

2. Vertical distance between the center of the base (base mounted perpendicular to the ground) and the bottom of the dish where it mounts on the steel tube (i.e. I need to know what is the minimum distance I need between the wall and the bottom of the eaves?).

 

[doctor J]

AT-9 Clearance

Horizontal distance from base to center of mast tube is 11"
Vertical clearance from center pivot of base to top of mast tube is 17"
Sadoun has a SUPERDISH mount with 2" tube that is slightly larger ie a bit more offset and a longer tube but not much.
I would doubt a mount under an eave without a application specific mount would work. The base platform of the dish is fairly complicated and "bulky" again necessitating more clearance.

Doctor j

 

[DirectMan]

I would doubt a mount under an eave without a application specific mount would work.
Doctor j

Doctor J - I guess I agree with you. The pictures of the AT9 that I have viewed on this forum gave me the impression that the base tube was much longer. I will have to have it mounted on the wall much lower than the eave so the dish clears it or on the eave itself. I was concerned about the increased weight of the dish - I am not sure where they could mount the support columns if it is mounted on the eave.

 

[cal87]

Take a look at mine. I had a custom bracket made.

 

[directvfreak]

It looks to me, your is going to fall when some wind cones along.

 

[cal87]

It looks to me, your is going to fall when some wind cones along.

I hope not. My installer said that he hung from one of these (he weighs 200 lbs+) and it supported his weight. We've had some strong winds the last couple of weeks and it hasn't budged.

 

[DirectMan]

Take a look at mine. I had a custom bracket made.

Yes, I had seen your pic previously and wondered if that was an off-the-shelf bracket or a custom job. Any reason why you didn't just mount the base on the eave - it looks like it is a very sturdy 2x8 plank. What about mounting some columns attached to the eave to support the tube?

 

[cal87]

Yes, I had seen your pic previously and wondered if that was an off-the-shelf bracket or a custom job. Any reason why you didn't just mount the base on the eave - it looks like it is a very sturdy 2x8 plank. What about mounting some columns attached to the eave to support the tube?

I think what you are looking at is the gutter. My previous dish is mounted to the eave on the other wall. It doesn't have the surface area for the base, and I'm not sure about the sturdiness. The bracket I have was custom made, bolted to the 2 2x4s with a total of 6 bolts. These 2x4s are more stable - like bolting it to a wall stud, or so I'm told.

 

[DirectMan]

I think what you are looking at is the gutter.

I mean the green painted member that looks like wood.

 

[cal87]

I mean the green painted member that looks like wood.

Green structure on side where AT9 mounted - gutter
Green structure where old dish mounted - wood

 

[DirectMan]

Green structure on side where AT9 mounted - gutter
Green structure where old dish mounted - wood

OK now I see I just looked at the other pic with the old dish and OTA mounted - yes so you couldn't mount it on the gutter maybe made of plastic resin or metal destroy the gutter watertightness.

By the way, on the custom mount how does the end of the "L" get joined to the "I" beam - is it welded or bolted? I can see how a 200 lb person could be supported by the bracket in a dead weight but I would think that the torqing motion of a heavy wind pushing on the dish and leveraged by the length of the dish tubing and part of the "L" could crack the joint between the "L" and the "I" - the weakest point.

 

[cal87]

It's welded. As for the "I" part - I don't know if you can tell, but it is 2 parts, one sliding inside the other to accomodate different widths beween the 2x4 beams.
Is it strong enough? I hope so, but who knows. Like I said, we have had some strong winds lately, and I have not seen any movement looking at it while the winds were blowing.

 

[VIPERS-PIT]

Ouch, that dish will fail. It is not installed to specs. There are no stabilizer arms on it. It will move out of alignment over time.

 

[DirectMan]

It's welded.

Like I said, we have had some strong winds lately, and I have not seen any movement looking at it while the winds were blowing.

It is likely that hairline cracks in the weld joint will develop from the movement from the wind leading to catastrophic failure at some point in time. A column support would prevent that failure, but the cables may also prevent the dish assembly from falling to the ground.

 

[raoul5788]

Green structure on side where AT9 mounted - gutter
Green structure where old dish mounted - wood

The AT9 is mounted on the fascia, the other is on the rake board.

 

[cal87]

Thanks for all of the input. I have been wondering about the stability of this mount. I'll keep watching it in the wind and keep an eye on the signal meters.
So far no signs of anything, but I'll keep a close eye on it. A guy down the street from me has the same install, so we're both in the same boat.

Of note, I left the 3LNB dish in place with OTA diplexed going to my HD Tivo. My HD locals are supposed to go online in 2 days. I am waiting to check the PQ to see if I want to keep the OTA long term, in which case I would need a third cable run going to the DVR. I am going to have the installer come back, when I make my decision, to reroute the cables and do some wall fishes. I'm also going to bring a network cable to my video equipment - I think this is going to be very useful soon. I'll talk to him about reinforcing the mount in some fashion at that time.