C-Band pole setup

[rrob311]

I have been digging all afternoon to setup my 10' Winegard while there is still time. I am going to have the dish very close to the ground. I am down about 3 feet and the soil is very rocky. Will 3 feet suffice? The pole is about 3" OD. I have about 600lb of concrete and plenty of rocks.

 

[Anole]

No expert on the subject, but don't you need to be below the frost line?

My feel is that for a low dish, three feet might otherwise be good.
Is the hole vertical (as opposed to a big scoop-out) and the soil firm & dry?

Okay for my 8'ers, haven't put up any 10'ers.

 

[rrob311]

the hole is probably 2 feet in diameter. Not sure about the frost line. Luckily the ground is not frozen yet.

 

[Blindowl1234]

I have an 8 footer 40" in ground with 150lbs of concrete.I'm guessing my hole is 12" in diameter..clay soil which is usually mushy this time of year and the pole is standing. Our frost line is 30" inches so I would certainly go below your frost line.

 

[Magic Static]

There is a guide in the Winegard manual
http://www.satelliteguys.us/downloads.php?do=file&id=8

 

[rrob311]

so is the idea of going below the frost line so it doesn't move when it thaws out?

 

[Anole]

I think the term is: frost heave.
Kinda the way ice expands & rises in an ice cube tray.
I'm sure the site above goes into more detail.
The Geo-orbit site talks about it, I'd wager.
(living where I do, I really don't pay attention)

 

[FaT Air]

so is the idea of going below the frost line so it doesn't move when it thaws out?

Yep. Should be able to call the building inspectors to find out how deep they require footings. If your pole stops above the frost line, it will be guaranteed to move, as ice forms and again as it thaws.

 

[johann12]

My pole is a little bit more than 3 feet in the ground with 700lb of concrete and pole filled with concrete.
Original I set up the pole for an 7 1/2 footer, but in back of my mind I thought that I get a bigger dish later on and that I may be able to use the same pole. About 8 month later I found a 10 footer and was able to use the same pole.
I get only 1-2 inches of frost here, so I left the concrete slap 5 inches below ground.
So far the pole did not move at all, even though with the added weight of the 10 footer and the wind gusts we had here.
You may be able to google to find your frostline in your area.

 

[toucan-man]

The monuments at our city cemetery are mostly just set on the ground, and they're leaning in every direction imaginable.

 

[Magic Static]

One thing for sure: You can't dig it too deep or use too much concrete. No such thing as "Overkill" when putting up the pole.

 

[Cham]

One thing for sure: You can't dig it too deep or use too much concrete. No such thing as "Overkill" when putting up the pole.

I 2nd the motion...
Also if you get snowfall in your area make sure the dish is a foot or two above the height of the average snow fall especially if it is motorized. The bottom of my 10' dish is almost 5ft off the ground, but in the winter it looks really low after 3' of snow!
In rocky soil you might be wise to make a wider footing if you can't go deep, but go as deep as you can. This is a great excuse to borrow a tracked excavator, they are lots of fun to play with!

 

[rrob311]

I dug to 4 feet and set the post on Monday afternoon. It is still plumb as can be. When will I be able to set the mount on this? I left enough post in order to eventually be able to setup a 12' dish if I find one. I will be setting up my 10' Winegard on this for now which has the most heavy duty mount out of all of my dishes.

 

[wallyhts]

I dug to 4 feet and set the post on Monday afternoon. It is still plumb as can be. When will I be able to set the mount on this? I left enough post in order to eventually be able to setup a 12' dish if I find one. I will be setting up my 10' Winegard on this for now which has the most heavy duty mount out of all of my dishes.

Last time I killed myself digging a hole I let the concrete go for 24 hours then started enjoying all the fruits on cband.

 

[KE4EST]

Concrete does most of its curing in the first 48hrs. It will continue to cure a little more a few days more, but you should be good to go.

 

[Mitch Dickson]

The reason for going below the frost line is that the freeze and thaw will act just like a hydraulic jack and lift the thing out of the ground making it loose. Got to have the walls of the hole vertical or an inverted "V" below the frost line. If the hole is wider at the top than the bottom she will jack out loose on you. Back in the "before time" I installed 1,125 c band dishes, all 10 foot and over. LOL, ask me how I came to know

 

[toucan-man]

...Back in the "before time" I installed 1,125 c band dishes, all 10 foot and over.

Wow. S-a-l-u-t-e !

 

[T4Runner]

I 2nd the motion...
Also if you get snowfall in your area make sure the dish is a foot or two above the height of the average snow fall especially if it is motorized. The bottom of my 10' dish is almost 5ft off the ground, but in the winter it looks really low after 3' of snow!
In rocky soil you might be wise to make a wider footing if you can't go deep, but go as deep as you can. This is a great excuse to borrow a tracked excavator, they are lots of fun to play with!

Im amazed and impressed you can still remember the number of installs!

 

[joshrr]

I put the pole for my 9ft aluminum DH 5 ft down. 1ft down was pure sand. I had to line the hole with 5 gallon buckets with the bottoms cut out as I dug down to keep the sides from caving in. 12 bags of concrete in the hole hahaha.