I have a couple of ground mounted dishes. One is a 10 foot Orbitron, mounted on a pole that's welded to a flat plate of 3/4 inch steel to keep it from sinking into the ground. It has 3 guide cables adjusted tight to keep the pole plumb. That one has been "temporary" mounted for about 5 years now. The other is a 10 foot fiberglass with the mounting pole welded to some I-beams and weighted down with scrap iron and concrete blocks. I ground mounted them because I didn't have poles long enough to sink into the ground. But I did have other scrap metal and made something work (too cheap, I guess). If you do ground-mount, use all possible safety precautions. Those things are heavy and will fall over if not set up correctly. I'd take some pictures but the mounts are under 3 foot of snow now. Remember, if someone complains about your dish, that just means they're jealous. Good luck.