Non-moving C-Band Project

[linuxman]

Rent a concrete saw, I am kinda lazy when it comes to that kind of manual labor. I had to do exactly what you just did to set some guard posts at various spots around our property to protect drivers that don't pay attention and drive their cars off the 4' ledge that separates us from a neighboring business. Yes it has happened twice before I took matters into my own hands.

Hey OSU!

Fortunately we don't have any drop off ledges around our parking lot, but I have seen what you have described happen. Sure does clean out the underside of the car.

My son and I took down the scanning dish and created the hole in the asphalt for the tractor and auger. The tractor owner said he would be here tomorrow if it didn't rain, and Monday for sure.

My welder should be back with the steel by Monday too, so it will work out fine.

After I took my pictures, I looked up and saw that home-made 6.5 foot dish setting there not doing anything and thought, why don't I put it in use as a non-moving C-Band dish too? Just slide it back even with where the Prodelin sets, and set it up. It worked fine on C-Band when I played with it last year, and the channel I will set it for has a good strong signal.

I'll just tell my wife that I am going to hang a sign on the back next to the street.

That will make a total of 7 non-moving C-Band dishes when I finish.

1. - I'll have the Prodelin at 121W along with Ku LNBFs

2. - The Perfect 10 - Ten footer at 95W for the Channels I want to get there. Needs a large dish.

3. - The Perfed Birdview will be at 87W for ThisTV and the RTN channels.

4. - The 10 foot Unimesh will be pointed at 103W for ION and RFD.

5. - There will be a 7.5 Foot Perfect 10 (unless I go out and get a bigger dish) pointed at 99W for the Nets.

6. - The 10 foot Pinnacle at 91W.

7. - Finally have the 6.5 foot home-made dish pointed at 107.3W for ASN.

WooHoo!!

It is finally starting to come together. Soon as I get the ground dishes finished, I'll start on the roof dishes. I have all the pieces on pallets so I can get my buddy from the scrap yard to come down and lift it all on the roof.

Then the wiring fun begins.

Here are today's pics:



I think I am starting to have some fun.

 

[Mr Tony]

5. - There will be a 7.5 Foot Perfect 10 (unless I go out and get a bigger dish) pointed at 99W for the Nets.

you wouldnt need a bigger dish on 99W for the nets. They come in really strong on the 6 footer just fine

 

[linuxman]

you wouldnt need a bigger dish on 99W for the nets. They come in really strong on the 6 footer just fine

Oh yes, I know that the nets come in fine on a smaller dish.

I try to prepare for what might be in the future and weigh the cost/effort involved in a putting up a bigger dish now for what could come on that satellite as opposed to what is there now, IE: DVB-S2 or some other difficult to receive signal.

I moved the home made C-Band dish to where I wanted it to set, and got a rough tune in on the arc, and settled on 107.3W. I currently have a signal of 60% SQ on ASN for now. No point in fine tuning until the Geosat ProC-2s arrive which is what will used on that dish.

My welder delivered my NPRM steel and my poles for planting in the ground, so I am all set when the tractor guy gets here tomorrow.

After that, just have to plumb the poles, and pour concrete.

Here are today's pics:

 

[linuxman]

While I was waiting for the tractor/auger to come, I had some time and needed something to do.

I followed Anole's advice in the IRC yesterday and found a couple of 99 cent cans of wally world paint, so I sprayed a little paint on my poles going into the ground, and while at it, sprayed the raw steel on my NPRM masts.

Hope that makes you happy my green friend.

Steel that can rust "should" be painted, but at this point in my life, the raw steel will outlast me anyway, so I usually don't bother.

 

[Anole]

what doesn't kill ya . . .

Yep, lookin' splendid.
I'm sure your wife, kids, and customers will all be impressed with the professional look.


Too bad we can't find some bio-paint to prolong us old guys.
I'm just not too sure I could stand the removal of rust, degreasing, roughing up the surface, and application of primer.
Much less the non-breathing top coat! -

 

[linuxman]

Too bad we can't find some bio-paint to prolong us old guys.
I'm just not too sure I could stand the removal of rust, degreasing, roughing up the surface, and application of primer.
Much less the non-breathing top coat! -

Ain't it the truth!!!

Got the holes drilled, but now heavy rain expected for the next 36 hours, so i'm not going to start the clean out until I know I will have time to get one planted before the next big rain.

I am going to start with the scanning dish first. (hole closest to me in the picture below)

I'll clean out the hole, and dig the shelf down 4 inches below the surface of the asphalt over the whole square, put in the pole, make supports to hold it plumb, and then pour the concrete.

Then start the next hole for the Prodelin.

More Pics, because Satellite Guys like images from everyone.

 

[Anole]

few questions:

How big are the holes in both diameter and depth?

Since you are putting dishes out on the parking lot, how are you bringing the cables into the building?
Overhead? On the ground? In plastic pipe? etc...

 

[linuxman]

How big are the holes in both diameter and depth?

The holes themselves are 10 inches in diameter.

I dug the holes the full length of the auger which is about 42 inches. I will fill the bottom 6 inches with large gravel for drainage, so the pole will be in the ground a full 36 inches and encased in concrete the whole distance with a 4 inch thick layer of concrete at the asphalt level that is 2' X 2'.

That should hold it fine.

Since you are putting dishes out on the parking lot, how are you bringing the cables into the building?
Overhead? On the ground? In plastic pipe? etc...

For right now, there will be 3 - 4x1 diseqc switches located at the Prodelin with the coaxes from the 4x4 multiswitches located on the Prodelin, the home-made dish, and the Geosat Pro dish running to those diseqc switches. From that point, there will be 3 main coaxes running to the scanning dish mast where the ribbon cable from it will join them.

From that point it is about 20 feet to one of the steel support poles for the front porch. The coax will lay on the ground bundled together with wire ties and secured to the masts of the dishes. Their collective strength and secured to the masts and to the front porch pole will hold even if someone trips over them.

Once they are at the front porch, the scanning dish ribbon cable goes under the front porch and into the building, and the others go above the front porch onto the main roof to the brain box I will setup for distribution to the rest of the dishes and into the existing coax into the building.

 

[linuxman]

Got the scanning dish pole set and poured today.

The frame worked out pretty well, and the pole is just almost perfectly plumb using my digital level.

Got the hole cleaned out where the Prodelin will take up residence and plan to set and pour it tomorrow.

 

[linuxman]

Got the pole where the Prodelin dish will rest concreted in and setting up.

It is a little different design than a standard pole. Stay tuned to this thread and you'll see why.

I also wanted to ask you guys how long I need to wait on the concrete to cure before putting the 100 Lb. AJAK H-H mount and 10 foot perfed scanning dish on the pole I poured yesterday?

Here are today's pics:

 

[phlatwound]

I would think you could put the mount on after a 24 hour set, but if you are expecting any wind at all I don't think I'd mount the dish for at least 2 days....after 3 days I think most concrete has hit 80-90% of full strength.

 

[SatPhreak]

I like the post for your Prodelin dish. That is similar to the way all the BUDS up here are installed. You don't need to be absolutley plumb when you pour, because you can always adjust at the plate to get the pole plumb. The cband dish I used to have had long bolts in the plate with nuts installed on top of it and the concrete was poured to the level of the flat plate. The bottom of the pole had a similar plate with reinforcements welded from the pole to the plate 45 degrees from the holes. A bit more work but it can always be replumbed if a cold winter sent the frost below the bottom of the hole and it shifted in the spring thaw.

 

[linuxman]

I would think you could put the mount on after a 24 hour set, but if you are expecting any wind at all I don't think I'd mount the dish for at least 2 days....after 3 days I think most concrete has hit 80-90% of full strength.

Thanks Phlatwound!

I knew someone with concrete experience would answer. I think I will just leave it until Saturday before I do anything. No sense ruining a good thing being over anxious.

SatPhreak wrote:

I like the post for your Prodelin dish. That is similar to the way all the BUDS up here are installed. You don't need to be absolutley plumb when you pour, because you can always adjust at the plate to get the pole plumb. The cband dish I used to have had long bolts in the plate with nuts installed on top of it and the concrete was poured to the level of the flat plate. The bottom of the pole had a similar plate with reinforcements welded from the pole to the plate 45 degrees from the holes. A bit more work but it can always be replumbed if a cold winter sent the frost below the bottom of the hole and it shifted in the spring thaw.

Thanks.

I had heard that was the way it was done way up North, but I didn't do it for that reason. Though that design was my inspiration.

The Prodelin mount takes a 4 to 5 inch pole. It had a 4 inch on it, but that is going to the roof along with it's NPRM.

I had a 4.5 inch mast laying here, so what will go on top of the plate you see will be the 4.5 inch diameter mast with a plate that matches the bottom one.

I still was very careful to make sure the plate you see is perfectly plumb.

Supposed to rain tomorrow and Saturday, so won't get much done outside.

 

[SatPhreak]

Yah us northerners with our 4 1/2- 6 foot frost will sometimes make use of adjustable poles! I used to check mine every April but it never moved from plumb. Thats one of the reasons that 99% of houses here have a basement, the other 1% are anchored into bedroock or have footings going down at least 4 1/2'.

The frost line is probably much less in St Louis, mayby only 3' or less. I've only been there in the fall but the temps there are much warmer than we get in the fall.

 

[stogie5150]

Looking good Brother Linuxman! :up

 

[Cadsulfide]

It's looking Great!

 

[Mr Tony]

Looking good

 

[linuxman]

Looking good

Thanks Guys!

Now looking at a Winter Storm Watch for tomorrow night. I guess March is going out like a lion here.

I thought Spring had arrived, but apparently going back to Winter. 3-4 inches of snow tomorrow night.

 

[linuxman]

It only snowed an inch last night and the temp is back up to 42 degrees.

I brought the AJAK H-H 180 inside to clean it up and put new lubrication on it and it is now ready for the pole.

Don't know whether I'll actually get it on the pole today or not, but might. Will have to see how the warm up and dry out goes.

Here are the pics:

 

[linuxman]

Warmed up nicely and dried everything off.

The kids and I managed to get the mount and the dish reflector on the pole for my new scanning dish.

Tomorrow, I'll finish putting it together and start tuning it in.

I think it will be a very nice scanning assembly.