Mounting question

[Greysquirrel]

I have a 6x6 ceder post in my backyard that has been there for at least 20 years and is solid as a rock, it has been there before we bought this house and it is the right place for a dish that I can get all satellites.
My question is can I use this with a bracket to mount a dish, it will be about 6 feet above the ground, or does anyone see a problem with this?
The problem to putting a new post in is that our ground is hard clay about 3 inches below the surface and with a power auger you can only get to about 18 inches then you start to polish the clay and I am not sure if 18 inches is deep enough for a post 6 feet high with a dish. I have to go 6 feet to get the angle to clear a couple of trees for a couple of sats.

 

[brentb636]

I don't see what you have to lose by trying it. If it is by far the easiest solution, definitely try it first. The big issue is going to be having a perfectly plumb mast. It you can do that, you'll be just fine.

 

[SatelliteAV]

No matter what the age of the post, it will twist with any moisture content changes. Wood grain will swell and contract with humidity changes. You will find that you will probably need to be reaiming the dish with seasonal changes. While this movement may not be very noticeable with a DBS system, an FSS dish will be moved enough that you could notice a dramatic drop in Signal Quality or even signal loss.

We recommend that dishes only be mounted on metal posts.

 

[mikekohl]

If the 6 x6 post has indeed been stable and in the same location
for 20 years, it's probably safe to install a smaller Ku-band antenna.
Use all metal bracing, and instead of lag bolts into the wood, I would
recommend stainless steel machine bolts through the entire 6 inch width,
and fender washers, secured by a machine nut. Use of fender washers will force the mechanical connection to "spread" over a wider area, and if you need to re-tighten in a few months, will be more secure. Drill the holes for any machine bolts
as straight as possible, and make certain that your mast pipe is perfectly vertical
when tested at multiple angles with a carpenter's level (bubble type).

One note: once you have the installation completed, weatherproof those
penetrations you drilled for the machine bolts with silicone, to prevent water
from getting inside the wood and causing liquid to get inside the wood and
change the wood's density---causing problems that the last poster mentioned.

He was absolutely correct with concerns about using metal instead of wood,
but if it's a choice of situations as you described, I would attempt drilling the 6 x 6
(but carefully).

 

[Greysquirrel]

Thanks for the replies, think I will go with plan B and remove the post which will leave me with a good size hole that I can put a post into and fill with cement and I wont have to worry about the post shifting or if I can't get the 6x6 out I have a 4x4 nearby which I know I can remove.