Thank you all for your suggestions. But due to the pandemic & also because I can't drive. I think I will stick with getting a satellite dish off the internet. I do have some more money now & can better afford the shipping.
Looking for suggestions for FTA satellite dishes
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If you are limited to only ordering online then go for the biggest dish you can afford - you won't regret it. Also keep in mind that both of the dishes you linked to use a stationary mount and are not designed to be motorized. If you are looking to motorize and track the arc you need to purchase a dish with a polar mount. Another option would be to buy one of the stationary dishes you linked to then build a polar mount for it yourself. That's not an impossible task but not an easy one either. Better to find one that already has it.
After doing some searching, I also found this satellite dish. Is there other place that I could get this kind of dish. Do these kind of dishes come with poles to mount them to, or do I have to buy, or find, a pole to mount it on separately.If you are limited to only ordering online then go for the biggest dish you can afford - you won't regret it. Also keep in mind that both of the dishes you linked to use a stationary mount and are not designed to be motorized. If you are looking to motorize and track the arc you need to purchase a dish with a polar mount. Another option would be to buy one of the stationary dishes you linked to then build a polar mount for it yourself. That's not an impossible task but not an easy one either. Better to find one that already has it.
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You should contact these dealers to ask if they actually have these dishes in stock. Many ads are outdated but have never been removed.
Ask the vendor, but usually a package deal comes with one. Since it cost extra to ship the pole you might phone around to local metal/scrap yards and see what they have, might save you a lot of $$. Make sure it is schedule 40 or better (same OD as the one called for). Find a friend with a truck, and a case of beer can go a long way!
Or a big fat sack of sticky icky.Find a friend with a truck, and a case of beer can go a long way!
Would really thick PVC pipe, reinforced with concrete with rods through the bottom of the pipe to keep it level, also work.Ask the vendor, but usually a package deal comes with one. Since it cost extra to ship the pole you might phone around to local metal/scrap yards and see what they have, might save you a lot of $$. Make sure it is schedule 40 or better (same OD as the one called for). Find a friend with a truck, and a case of beer can go a long way!
NO!
Newbies seem to ask this question all the time. 50mph wind = 500lbs of force against the dish. PVC pipe, even with concrete inside will crumble like a tin can.
It isn't so much the weight of the dish, it's ALWAYS about possible wind loading.
Some more questions, would I have to call "Dig Rite" before I go digging? If I don't feel like digging, could I build a stand like this? Also, would I have to measure the focal point on the C Band dish.
If you live anywhere were there is any chance of underground utilities (gas, electric, phone, etc) then it is best to call. I live in the country and know for sure that there are no gas lines here and the electric and phone are delivered overhead on poles. As such, I never call before digging on my property.
As far as a stand type mount, you may be able to come up with something like that to hold the dish upright but I would never trust it to stay plumb. Even pressure treated wood will swell and warp. My preference would always be to sink the pole in the ground below the frost line with a sufficient amount of concrete to guarantee that it will never move. Of course there are always situations such as that mentioned in the article (high water table) you linked to where you just have to do what works.
See my previous post on wind-load. Can a stand such as that work in SOME places temporarily? Sure, but I sure wouldn't waste my time installing one like that. Our winds here are too high anyway, but even in low winds, you'd best be advised to build something that can handle a minimum of 500lbs of wind pressure.
At present, I only have a 7.5' mesh dish installed, and I sunk an 11' pole 4 feet down, and used over 950lbs of concrete. Ground is sandy-loam, and I wanted to make sure it would NEVER be likely to go anywhere.
Don’t use wood. I tried 4x4 pressure treated and came home to half down dish when the wind broke the wood where I drilled it to attach it with a bolt. I later went to a local scrap yard and picked up various sizes of angle iron, drilled holes where needed and bolted it together. Cost was about the same. No more problems.
I would like to know how wide should the hole, that I will have to dig, have to be for the mounting pole & should I use Quikrete, or just any other kind of concrete mix?
Quikrete is fine to use. My hole is about 18" across on the top, and "bells" out on the bottom, 4ft down. There's a slight "cut" on one side, to help keep it from being a cylinder, and possibly spinning in the hole from huge winds. Yeah, that can happen, I've heard of it from others.
Once you dig the hole and flatten the bottom a bit, pour in 1 bag of GRAVEL (for water drainage, to help keep pole from lifting later). Then, place a flat patio PAVER on the top middle of the gravel. Your pole bottom sits on that, It'll keep the pole from sinking into the ground. Then use some stakes and 2x4's to completely, 100% PERFECTLY level the top of the pole in the hole, East-West and North-South. Get it PERFECT. Oh, by the way, you should also have drilled a hole through the pole about 1 foot or so UP, and place a bolt (or "all-thread") through it, that's long enough to hang out both sides of the pole. Nut it down. Yet another thing to keep the pole itself from possibly spinning inside of the cement after huge winds.
Then mix and start slowly shoveling in the mixed cement, a little at a time, alternating around the hole so as not to "push" the pole to one side. After you get a foot or so of cement in the hole, RECHECK the level on all sides! IF it's changed a bit, adjust it before it's not possible anymore. YES, at that point you could still man-handle the pole a little bit if needed.
Once you have all the cement in the hole, it should be enough to have a slight "dome" top above ground. That keeps rain water that runs off the pole, from pooling right there and causing issues.
Double-check your level again, before the cement completely sets up too much to do anything about it.
I cover the wet cement with some of the left over cement paper bags, and keep them slightly damp while it all hardens over the next 5-7 days MINIMUM, before putting the polar mount and dish on the pole.
Don't RUSH this, because IF you don't get this right, it creates a real mess later. You can wait a week, believe it or not.
Is it also possible to use a roof mount, on the ground that's weighed down, with sandbags, or something else that's heavy?
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Zipping through this post reveals what many others eventually find out. Put your spare change in a cookie jar and save to do it right. Just rely on what seasoned folks suggest and don't skimp. I saw the PVC pipe thing. Nope. Not even. That small dish that you think will give instant gratification will render you to next trying Ku band. And there's not much there at all to watch. Make sure you get your extra pennies to include a polar mount. Because fixed dishes suck. You'll end up dropping a load of cash just to find out you can stream much more content from the 'net.
Once you can scan the sky with a proper earth station, you'll thank us.
Once you can scan the sky with a proper earth station, you'll thank us.
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Out of curiosity, I've asked if anybody in my area, Carrollton, MO & the surrounding area, had any dishes & I got one offer, however I will have to take down the dish. The dish is an older one & I don't know how to take one down. Are the dishes, like this one, assembled\dissassembled in sections?
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