Installing on the ground...

[aec4]

We're buying a second home, and we'd like to have D* there as well. I spoke with the condo association, and they asked if we'd install it on the ground. Is this possible? Getting a signal from the ground is not an issue... plenty of clearance ... I was just wondering if it's possible to anchor it down. Would it need to be on concrete?

Will it work through a window? We have a small window in our garage I could build a platform to get the dish to the window's level...

Anyone have an opportunity to do this sort of install? Any advice?

 

[kobe8]

I installed my dish on the ground. Went to Home Depot, got a nice sized brick, drilled holes through the top, and bolted the footing of the dish through the brick. Works like a charm.

I also tried the indoor window installation and the only thing I could pull in were the spotbeams. If you keep the window open, it's possible, but the signal strengths are still low, mostly in the 50's and 60's.

 

[KE4EST]

Just get a 1 5/8" fence post and concrete it in the ground works great.

 

[boba]

Ask what they mean by on the ground? Usually all that is wanted is to mount it on a pole rather than mounting it to the building. If mounting it on the ground really means right at ground level the two dangers is something being thrown out of a lawn mower hitting the dish and someone tripping over dish.

 

[Todd Humphrey]

If you can install a ground post, then that is the best. If you cannot dig a hole, I suggest non-pen roof mount with 4 cinder blocks as ballast. I love a good wind storm, it generates a lot of service calls to repair broken dishes and mis-alighned dishes because they were mounted on some home made device that was worked well for years.

If can put a pole in the ground, and you want to remove it easily when you leave, set a steel post in a 5 gallon bucket filled with concrete (make sure to drill a hole through the pipe and put a small pin through to stop the post from spinning. A 6" spike works great.) Bury the bucket. Pack the backfill tight using a little water to help set the dirt. Make sure the top of the bucket is below the frost line for your area.

Look at top picture on this page. http://www.dbsinstall.com/Directv/Directv_charges.asp

That post was set in a bucket first and then buried. That job was in a private RV park. It was only 5 feet from the road (small access road). In the winter the snow plow would bury the dish. The customer wanted to pull the bucket/pole up in the winter and reset in the spring. They did not like the look of a tripod.

 

[texasbrit]

Just get a 1 5/8" fence post and concrete it in the ground works great.

The 5-lnb dishes use a 2in OD pole - you can get suitable 2in OD pipe from a muffler shop........!!!!

 

[Todd Humphrey]

Calling muffler pipe suitable is an opinion I, and many others, do not agree with. Muffler pipe is very soft iron so it can be BENT with ease. OK for tripod use, but when buried in the ground, not very stable. If someone pushes hard enough, the pipe will bend and NOT return to its proper place.

Any decent satellite dealer or installer knows where to buy 2" OD poles for satellite use. WildBlue and DirecTV distributors stock 2" poles. Yes, they cost more than muffler pipe, but then again it is the right material for the job.

 

[aec4]

Snow isn't really an issue, this is in South Carolina. It's a condo, and the HOA asked I do not put it on the building (I told them if it has to go there that's where it goes). They asked it I could put it in the ground of the small courtyard. There is a concrete sidewalk there, and hedges. No grass. That is the southwest pointing spot of my unit, and close to the garage where the wiring is.

We currently have a condo down there and I built a wood platform where the dish resides on my screened porch when we are there, and comes in when we leave. That may not be an option here (maybe it is, who knows)

I'm looking for the best option possible. I may call an installer to help us out....

Any other advice?