Moving a c-band--tools?

[jself1982]

Just curious as to what I will need to take with me to move a 10' black mesh c-band dish that hasn't been used in a few years. Has very little rust on the mounting and thats about it. Any tricks to "easily" popping this thing up off the pole its on?

 

[dfergie]

Highlift jack or jacks and help..

 

[Covack]

Be sure an take some wasp spray

 

[dfergie]

If you have 3 or more folks, just unbolt and pick it straight up and depending on your location set on the bed of a pickup ( with padding )

 

[jself1982]

Will be at least 2 good decently strong men and more than likely 3 people total...I really too didn't know if it would be hard to take off the pole...thought it might possibly be stuck to the pole somehow other than with the bolts...also, what kinda padding are you talking about?

 

[dfergie]

Pad the pickup bed so you don't scratch it... probably take a 3/4" socket to loosen the mount bolts and it might need a hi lift jack or something like to get it started up , probably not though you can swivel it back and forth first... one thing before you take it down use a compass and eyeball the mount to get an idea of where to start when you move, also be easier to put it in the center of the arc...

 

[Hermitman]

I use my tractor with the loader installed. Undo the mount to pole bolts. Squirt some penetrating oil beween the pole and the mount. Spin the dish around a couple of times to make sure it loose. Attach a chain to the forward end of the mount and lift straight up. Beware the dish will swing downward because of the center of gravity of the dish and mount. Then take it to where ever you want. If your loader is strong enough, you can also lift out the pole along with the concrete. Then bust off the concrete and reuse the pole. Have fun.

 

[jself1982]

I don't have any type of lift, so does that mean I'm S.O.L.? Also, after getting it off the pole, should I remove the actuator to make it easier to rest in the back of the truck? I would think that it would get damaged or something, what do you think?

 

[dfergie]

See how it fits...the actuator will keep it steady...

 

[BKP]

Isn't a 10'er a little big for a pickup bed.. About how heavy is a 10' mesh.. Is there a disadvantage with taking the dish apart..

My brother-in-law offered to pick up a 10' Winegard mesh for me tomorrow and bring it up Sunday with them.. It's a 2 hour drive, though.. And I believe it's a 6' pickup bed taboot..

Any suggestions.. Thanks

 

[pampaul]

When I picked up mine(10' mesh), I used a battery opperated sawzall and cut the pole at the ground while a guy held the dish in place. Then we loaded it in a utility trailer and took it home.

 

[dashaund]

Sounds like a good idea pampaul. As long as you warp or damage any of the components, guess that would work. Take it apart at home, haha!

 

[linuxman]

When we brought my 10' home, there were 4 of us. We took all kinds of tools, including a sawzall. We ended up taking the wires loose, loosened up the 4 bolts on the cap. Gave it a little twist on the pole, picked it up and set it on the truck intact.

We rested the mounting cap on a 2x6 with a rubber floor mat under the wood, roped it down with the frame, one man sat in the back to make sure the wind didn't get under it, and brought it home driving no more than 35 mph.

It was only about a 12 mile trip.

When I got the mount set up on the roof/wall, 6 of us lifted it up on the front roof, and then onto the main roof. We set it on the pole, and that was it.

Piece of cake.

 

[GrumpyGuy]

Wasp spray - amen!

... also penetrating oil, basic hand tools, large adjustable wrench, rope, carpet scraps or cardboard, and red flags to mark the overhanging load.

If removing the pole is part of the deal: a reciprocating or portable band saw (this is more cutting than you would want to do with a hacksaw), shovel, sledge or hammer and chisel, and safety glasses.

A 10' mesh dish with mount is an easy lift for two men if they can get a comfortable grip on the dish at a point above its center of gravity - somewhere around 2 and 10 o'clock. If they are lifting over their heads, or if they are holding the dish by its lower half, its going to get difficult to control as soon as the mount is free of the pole. If you're lifting overhead you will want a third man lifting at the mount.

For a two man lift they're probably going to have to be standing on something to get into position. If it is the right height, the truck bed will make a good scaffold for one of the lifters. If you have two trucks on site you might be all set. Step ladder legs have tendency to sink into the turf mid-lift. If you have to use ladders bring plywood for under the legs.

Never tried it myself, but I like the idea of sawing the mounting pole with the dish in place, particularly if removing the pole is part of the deal. I would want at least two men on ropes tied to the dish at either side while a third man saws. Don't cut all the way through - leave a hinge. Don't let the dish rest on the feed horn. One possible complication I can foresee is a concrete filled mounting pole (like mine.)

You might want to bring a camera, in case you need to do any extensive disassembly ... or just to take pics of the Big Job.

If you need to disassemble the feed horn support, first measure the distance from the center of the dish to the mouth of the feed horn.

A 10 foot dish is going to be a wide (and/or tall) load. Flag it. Think about the route from pole to pole. Early on a weekend morning may be a good time to be making the trip home. Be safe.

 

[jself1982]

Thank you all for all the great information! Noted, and hopefully will be successful at this...I think we can get it here I will just have a problem aiming it I guess.

 

[Inno]

You should be fine with 3 people and a pickup. I've done a few by myself (although it's not recommended), the largest one being a 12 footer which I basically unbolted the feedhorn and attaching arms and seperated the bottom half of the dish from the top. It took a bit of time but it worked pretty well and was much easier to handle. Then I just lifted (very carefully) from the mount that was left on the pole and gently (as gently as one person lifting an unstable mass can) put it down in the bed of the pickup. I think for this method, removing the feedhorn is the way to go so as not to damage it or the arms that support it. In fact, for your 2 hour journey you may want to consider that as well as splitting the dish in half (if possible) to reduce things sticking out the sides of the pickup. Make it as safe and as compact as possible. That may also reduce the tendency to "lift off" and cause irrepairable damage to your new baby...........Wouldn't want to go through all that work for nothing!!

Good Luck, sounds like you've got it under control!

 

[jself1982]

Another series of questions: On the big dish...which is a 10' black mesh, c-band feedhorn only, no ku, w/ a superjack II actuator, very very minimal rust, maybe on the pole, no holes or warping, just a little faded. Still looks pretty darn good!

--I tried and tried to get the answers thru links and google but this is still what I can not find out!

1. Where would I need to put the penetrating oil at, and does this need to be done a day in advance (I have done things that DIY called for it to be oiled a day before)? And is there a certain penetrating oil or WD-40 that I need?

2. Do I need to remove the feedhorn, or the feedhorn cover before transporting the dish the 35-40 mile trip?

3. What do I do if I absolutely can't get the dish off the pole? Is there a trick to just popping it off the pole?

Now, after the installation:

1. Do I need to oil the actuator before trying to turn the dish, since the dish hasn't been moved in 5 or 6 years or is this a "no-no"? Should the actuator still work? Although, I have no way of seeing if it does I only know that it did before they cancelled TV thru the C-Band. If not, how would I manually move the dish between satellites?

2. Can someone send me the link on how to connect the C-Band with the FTA dish?

3. Should I purchase an installation kit, with the ribbon cables and connectors (ex. like the one skyvision offers)?--And how do I connect the new cabling with what is already on the dish? (The cable on the dish now will have to be cut by the way)

4. It's a 3.5" mast correct? At least 3-4' in the ground correct?

5. How can I tell if the VCII module still works in my Uniden 4400? Does the VCII module have to work to still receive FTA or the ITC analog c-band? I know that I get analog KU FTA now no problem.

6. On the LOS, if there is "old mature" trees 100ft or greater away, would this bother the reception or does the trees have to be right up on the dish to block the signal?

Thanks, you all have helped a lot, and I do intend to have this thing moved and installed between Thurs, and Sat. of this week. I will follow with pictures too!

Thanks! :up

 

[Inno]

Another series of questions: On the big dish...which is a 10' black mesh, c-band feedhorn only, no ku, w/ a superjack II actuator, very very minimal rust, maybe on the pole, no holes or warping, just a little faded. Still looks pretty darn good!

--I tried and tried to get the answers thru links and google but this is still what I can not find out!

1. Where would I need to put the penetrating oil at, and does this need to be done a day in advance (I have done things that DIY called for it to be oiled a day before)? And is there a certain penetrating oil or WD-40 that I need?

I'd put the penetrating oil (WD40 should be ok, everyone has their own fav. ) on the bolts that secure the dish to the ground post as well as on any connector that you think you may need to remove. I'd say a minimum of a half an hour before you try to unbolt things if you can't do it the day before. Most that I've seen can be unbolted without any lube (although not recommended) with the right amount of force.

2. Do I need to remove the feedhorn, or the feedhorn cover before transporting the dish the 35-40 mile trip?

Probably not absolutely necessary but I'd recommend it if you're gonna be driving any more than say 20-30 miles per hour.

3. What do I do if I absolutely can't get the dish off the pole? Is there a trick to just popping it off the pole?

Loosen all the bolts that secure it and then make sure you can rotate it a bit on the pole, it should move without too much trouble. If it moves freely you should be able to lift it right off.

Now, after the installation:

1. Do I need to oil the actuator before trying to turn the dish, since the dish hasn't been moved in 5 or 6 years or is this a "no-no"? Should the actuator still work? Although, I have no way of seeing if it does I only know that it did before they cancelled TV thru the C-Band. If not, how would I manually move the dish between satellites?

Many people think that oiling the "shaft" of the actuator does some good, that's not true! The actual moving part that will benefit from lubrication is inside. You'd have to completely unscrew the shaft from the actuator (yes it should unscrew although it'll take awhile). I'd mark it with some tape to make sure you get it screwed back in to the right depth so as not to affect the limit switches in the unit. If it moves freely with little slack, I'd leave it alone. If it does not move freely but there is little slack, you can take it apart and clean it and re-lube. If there is a lot of slack you're either going to have to get a new actuator or look for replacement parts for it. You'll be constantly tweaking if that's not taken care of. There used to be a replacement shaft available for them but I'm not sure if you'll find that now. Check Skyvision if you need one.

2. Can someone send me the link on how to connect the C-Band with the FTA dish?
This is something I haven't personally done......yet

3. Should I purchase an installation kit, with the ribbon cables and connectors (ex. like the one skyvision offers)?--And how do I connect the new cabling with what is already on the dish? (The cable on the dish now will have to be cut by the way)

It depends on what you have now and your level of expertise. If it were me, I'd just buy the ribbon cable and some ends. Standard RG-6 connectors for the coax, the actuator has a terminal strip inside to attach stripped wires to and the polarotor will require some sort of water proof quick splice, I think they're available from Radio Shack (or someplace similar) and are used for splicing telephone wires.


4. It's a 3.5" mast correct? At least 3-4' in the ground correct?

Yes, that sounds about right.

5. How can I tell if the VCII module still works in my Uniden 4400? Does the VCII module have to work to still receive FTA or the ITC analog c-band? I know that I get analog KU FTA now no problem.

For FTA you don't need that board to work, in fact you can leave it right out if you're not planning on subscribing to any programming.

6. On the LOS, if there is "old mature" trees 100ft or greater away, would this bother the reception or does the trees have to be right up on the dish to block the signal?

Depends on the height of the tree. With a prime focus dish it "points" directly to the satellite you're aiming for unlike an offset so you can pretty much eye it up and see if they'll be a problem.

Thanks, you all have helped a lot, and I do intend to have this thing moved and installed between Thurs, and Sat. of this week. I will follow with pictures too!

Thanks! :up

Hope this is at least some help!
Good luck.......and have fun!!

 

[dfergie]

2. Can someone send me the link on how to connect the C-Band with the FTA dish?

WD 40 evaporates, use brake fluid if its gonna be a day or so before you remove...( mindful that brake fluid will take paint off ) Post 7 from FAQ's

 

[GrumpyGuy]

Looks like the guys have you pretty well covered. The only things I would add are:

Avoid disassembling anything that is not interfering with your loading and transporting the dish

If at all possible leave the feedhorn and its supports as they are. The feedhorn cover is there to protect the feedhorn from moisture and impact, and its been doing so through all kinds of weather for many years. Duct tape or otherwise secure the feedhorn cover in place if you want extra insurance against it be dislodged in transit.

If you feel you must disassemble the actuator at least verify its operation first. Watch and listen while running it through its full throw length in both directions. It should be obvious if something is terribly wrong, and you should be able to shut it down before any further damage is done. (The actuator on my 12' BUD has been in service for about 15 years now with no internal maintenance.)

Take it easy and have fun. It's a great find and it sounds like it is in good hands.