Mount 90cm dish to cedar siding

[localsat]

I've got a "Geosatpro" 90cm motorized dish and I'd like to mount it to the side of my house rather than using the tripod it's on now. I have cedar shake siding (see picture attached) and I'm not sure how to attach the dish mount to it. My initial thought is to remove the shakes where the mount attaches and put a piece of hardwood (painted, caulked, etc) instead. Anybody else mounted a dish to this type of siding before? How'd you do it?

In general, I'm also curious about mounting screws/bolts to use, should I locate a stud, etc. If there's a good tutorial or example to read/view, that works too.

Thanks

 

[Titanium]

Should be able to keep it simple. Locate the studs and pre drill tap holes for two lag bolts with washers through the base plate. Use galvanized 3/8"x 2 1/2-3" bolts. Fill the predrilled holes with sealant and place a pitch pad under the plate to eliminate leaking before installing the large bolts.

If the support arm mounting holes do not line up with studs on either side of center stud, mount a horizontal pressure treated 2x4 between the studs (drill and fill holes with sealant before lag bolting the 2x4 to the wall) then lag bolt the support arms to the 2x4. Plumb the pole and tighten the baseplate and support arm hardware.

 

[. Raine]

Welcome to SatGuys, Localsat!

I mounted a few dishes on the corner of my house, one of them motorized, on the trim boards at the edge of my siding, rather than through the siding itself. Lag bolts is what I used. Looking at your picture, the trim on your house isn't wide enough for you to mount yours like I did mine though.

One thing to watch out for with a motorized dish on the side of a house is to make sure that you'll be able to move the dish far enough in both directions across the arc without the dish hitting the side of the house.

 

[Titanium]

The GSP 90cm post can be mounted for vertical height or horizontal reach depending on how the j-post is installed. J at the bottom for vertical height. J at the top for horizontal reach.

 

[localsat]

Thanks for the replies - some follow-up questions: To be clear, you're saying I don't need to put anything between the base plate and the siding other than pitch pad(s). And I should put a PT 2x4 bolted to studs for the two struts if they don't reach to studs? Any suggestions on locating studs through siding?

 

[Titanium]

You certainly could place additional materials over the siding, but in my opinion this is not necessary. In several thousand installs, I rarely used a backing plate or anything more than a pitch pad. Only would reinforce if flimsy anchor points that would not permit the mount or support arms to be properly secured.

Studs are typically on 16" center. Once one stud is found, the others should be easy to locate with a measuring tape and verified when drilling a pilot hole. You should be able to "hear" the stud by tapping on the siding with a hammer handle or a good stud sensor should detect the stud density. In the unlikely event that a stud cannot be located on the outside, locate the stud inside and drill a small locating hole next to the stud from the inside to the outside of the wall.