Installing a Dish's Mast / Pole Support in the Ground

[primestar31]

BUD = "Big" "Ugly" "Dish"

 

[toucan-man]

BUD = Badass Uncompromising Dish.

 

[richyrich]

My own personality is to do a real site survey; taking into affect the property that the dish will be set "into". This involves first asking a question; can all channels be received from "a spot"! The spot is then developed with a 10 foot dish. When a blank slate is available (no tree or buildings of un-owned blockages). Any placement using a big dish should be kept below the skylight (low to the ground) and leward of wind (sheltered). Also, properties with big dish placement in the ground should be thought of as being used for 10 or more years; requiring galvanized sched. 40 steel; steel in the concrete; welded; 4 foot holes x 14 foot pipes; and normal ground mounting practices like PVC.

The word static when placing valuable stuff; and needy of a solution in statics; when the install lasts 10 years!!! means tops of mountains are used for broadcasters to use as hats to send their signals from "Their" rooms built to broadcast then HQ means work; great to send ATSC; stainless steel comes to mind too which will last 20 year and not move very much.

Here at my move to then move from i just leave a 6 foot dish and broken by the wind mount to hold my gold buckets and totes down from winds that blow to 50 mph and it has not moved off satellite for 1 week; every day the wind hits the west side of the house; big ugly bent metal six foot all outa shape works on east side of home; wind broke the weld???????????? I am on g16 and have dvb-s2 8psk puerto rican?channel on r.

 

[raoul5788]

Good video glover31. The only thing I would add is regarding the level. You show a post level used the incorrect way. It should be turned 90°. It is actually the best tool to check the pole for plumb since it gives you a measurement in two planes simultaneously, no need to move the level and chance the pole moving on you. A magnetic torpedo level is good to get the pole close, but the post level allows for the final adjustments much easier.

 

[glover31]

A post level would have bean better than the torpedo. But like I said, I have many tools but not everything. Later I ended up using a 3+ foot level that was so much more accurate than the torpedo. So at this stage I will probably always use a long level. I did eventually turn it 90 degrees as you said. If or when I do a Big Useful Dish I will be using well casing and a buried 55 gallon drum with re-bar. I will fill the well casing with cement as well. The geosatpro 36" dish is an excellent dish. I am using one now and it is tuned specifically to galaxy 19 as you want to do. Personally I would not motorize it. Its not worth motorizing anything smaller than 1.2 meter. I have multiple receivers in my home so I plan to by one more fixed dish. My words of wisdom is not to dig if you are worried about hitting utilities.
http://www.call811.com/state-specific.aspx
I had to do this once. It didn't cost a dime.
I might also add the geosatpro has this option http://www.glorystar.tv/p/shop/?ws_pid=456&ws_cat=433

and
http://www.glorystar.tv/p/shop/?ws_pid=460&ws_cat=433
I will be getting these for myself. I tried other brackets but they don't work. If you want to do motorized plus a fixed dish you will have to have a diseq switch.

 

[WillyV]

Glover, Raoul5788, Richyrich, Toucan-man, Primestar31,

My sincere thanks for all your feed back and an apology for getting back so late... After much consideration however, I've decided to "pay the man" and get a basic subscription to DISH. The winter here has been frigid and not conducive for working outside etc. Pursuing fta on my own, currently would be a very slow process. Heck, I probably wouldn't be watching any birds until July! LOL! Right now, I've got cabin fever! So, "enter the DISH man" for some quick guaranteed viewing.

In the mean time, I'll scope out my property and decide on the best location to position a fta dish down the road. Although I'd like to go with C band, for convenience, I'll need to stick with KU.... As a long-time short wave listener, I'm really intrigued with fta and will continue to read this forum. Thanks again and good viewing.

 

[glover31]

Your welcome. But... being you "PAID THE MAN", I suggest you have DISH move there dish to where you will eventually setup your fta dish. That way all the wires will be run for you. That is if you intend to do fta only. Not everyone does.

 

[WillyV]

Good idea and thanks again.

 

[Enraged newb]

I didn't read all the comments but be sure to hammer a good foot of the pole flat because if you don't the concrete will not hold it great. I normally dry pack the concrete because we get so much rain that if I mix it, it does not harden great. Also take the ass end of a shovel or something and pack that concrete in there like you think it may be alive.





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[glover31]

but be sure to hammer a good foot of the pole flat because if you don't the concrete will not hold it great. I normally dry pack the concrete because we get so much rain that if I mix it, it does not harden great. Also take the ass end of a shovel or something and pack that concrete in there like you think it may be alive.

A few of us take the foot of a mast and take zinc screws and screw that joker on the bottom of the pole then when the concrete hardens that joker REALLY has something to hold to.

Why all that fuss. If your worried about air bubbles in the concrete just use a shop vac and hose "not the side that sucks" and use it like your churning butter. That will take care of air pockets. I will also say this, instead of buying zinc plated screws to put on the bottom of the pole to keep it from turning, Just invest that money in a heavier duty pole. Like well casing. If you get something thats a good 8 foot or more and bury it at least 4 feet its not going to turn inside hardened concrete. It definitely wont if you put concrete inside it. Ice in the winter is usually the culprit that gets between that pole and the concrete un ad-hearing the pole from the concrete. There is no room for the ice to expand to if there is concrete inside. Another thing I have seen people forgetting to do is put a flat rock on the bottom. Ice can push your pipe or 4x4 all over the darn place if you don't. Once the concrete has set for a while some oil based paint will help keep it sealed. Any cracked concrete is susceptible to water penetration. Thats why cracks in concrete get worse, ice expansion.
But if your dead set on putting screws in your pipe and such I would say skip the concrete altogether. Just torch 1/2 inch holes in the pipe all the way through, and put cut off pieces of re-bar or 1/2 inch pipe through the holes and weld them in place. Then just bury.
Maybe in the spring I will do a you tube video on what I just said above.

 

[Titanium]

Gong to nip some misinformation... This advice is based on thousands of installs and service calls.

NEVER place a round pole into a round hole... It will spin. I have repaired many posts through the years that have spun in the concrete. Sometimes we would chisel, drill, lag and even pour a topper layer of cement to lock the pole from rotating.

Always flatten a section, set a screw or weld a tab or rebar in the section of the post that is in the concrete. The only variable on when it will spin is how strong of wind gusts and from what direction. Cement inside the post will not prevent the post from spinning. The cement simply stress fractures below the post.

 

[Enraged newb]

Why all that fuss. If your worried about air bubbles in the concrete just use a shop vac and hose "not the side that sucks" and use it like your churning butter. That will take care of air pockets. I will also say this, instead of buying zinc plated screws to put on the bottom of the pole to keep it from turning, Just invest that money in a heavier duty pole. Like well casing. If you get something thats a good 8 foot or more and bury it at least 4 feet its not going to turn inside hardened concrete. It definitely wont if you put concrete inside it. Ice in the winter is usually the culprit that gets between that pole and the concrete un ad-hearing the pole from the concrete. There is no room for the ice to expand to if there is concrete inside. Another thing I have seen people forgetting to do is put a flat rock on the bottom. Ice can push your pipe or 4x4 all over the darn place if you don't. Once the concrete has set for a while some oil based paint will help keep it sealed. Any cracked concrete is susceptible to water penetration. Thats why cracks in concrete get worse, ice expansion.
But if your dead set on putting screws in your pipe and such I would say skip the concrete altogether. Just torch 1/2 inch holes in the pipe all the way through, and put cut off pieces of re-bar or 1/2 inch pipe through the holes and weld them in place. Then just bury.
Maybe in the spring I will do a you tube video on what I just said above.

Man the part with the screws to do what I was saying to do it works swimmingly but it still has to be flat. But you didn't catch what I was saying... Nor did I expect you to because I wrote that at 1 am. You really do need to flatten that joker or people ARE going to run into problems especially where I am from and get high winds all the time.

You can't just put a round pole in a round hole. That does not sound logical does it?


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[turbosat]

I didn't read all the comments but be sure to hammer a good foot of the pole flat because if you don't the concrete will not hold it great. I normally dry pack the concrete because we get so much rain that if I mix it, it does not harden great. Also take the ass end of a shovel or something and pack that concrete in there like you think it may be alive.







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Excellent advice, and southern humor, lol. That thing on the shovel, though, I always called "the handle", hehe.

 

[glover31]

Man the part with the screws to do what I was saying to do it works swimmingly but it still has to be flat. But you didn't catch what I was saying... Nor did I expect you to because I wrote that at 1 am. You really do need to flatten that joker or people ARE going to run into problems especially where I am from and get high winds all the time.

You can't just put a round pole in a round hole. That does not sound logical does it?

No not really. But I am not going to argue the point. I am not getting paid. I don't claim to know it all. I can be wrong. " Misinformation" , Hmm... I guess I am a liar then. Well I will try to just ask questions for now on and not answer. I find it more and more not worth helping or lending a hand to anyone anymore.

 

[Titanium]

Sorry Glover31, did mean anything personal or infer that anyone was lying. Some of the information would have required corrective work down the line.

Many of us have been installing dishes or owned satellite equipment for longer than some of the newbies have been alive... Not that we know everything, but we have observed what doesn't work and what does. Nothing more time consuming than resetting a post! If it is done right the first time, many headaches will be avoided. As a TV pitchman says, "set it and forget it"!

Your input and participation in the forum is great! Don't let this get to ya! We all pitch in with information as we know it.

 

[Enraged newb]

Lol read my posts. I get hammered on all the time. There is nothing wrong with putting some input in!


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