Non-penetrating roof mount!

[linuxman]

Hey Everyone!

I picked these up this morning to put two more C-Band dishes on my roof. I didn't get them free.

I went to look at the one which the guy wanted $150.00 for, and discovered he had two, so I offered him $240.00 for both of them.

Those of you who know the prices of these things, let me know if you think I got a good deal or not. I think I did, but there is one draw back.

The center mast is only 2-3/8" OD, but it is schedule 80 pipe. It is 5' tall which I can probably cut down at least 6" and maybe a foot depending on the size of the dish I end up mounting. As you can see, there are holders there to put a bigger mast alongside of the existing one. It is 9' across from a triangle point straight to the outside of a flat side. It is made for laying blocks in for ballast. Each outside panel piece is 8' long.

My plan is to put a piece of 2-7/8" OD schedule 80 pipe which ends up being just shy of 3" over the existing mast about 18" down from the top and weld it at the top and bottom. That should allow me to put most 7.5 - 8.5 foot dishes on the mast with no issues.

So let me know what you guys think!

If you have any suggestions, feel free to throw them out there.

If you think I got took, tell me!

Edit: Forgot! Here are the pictures:



PS: Al, I am finally going to have a separate dish for my analog receiver. Maybe one of these days I'll find an inexpensive 4DTV.

Thanks,

Fred

 

[somery]

Hey thats cool. I think it was worth it! I mean, if that was the mount i needed I too would have spent that. I'd be scared about the size differences (whats your pole mount size) for my 4 inch, solid aluminum 9 footer, and steel frame work being supported on that. But you've already got it all on there, right? Installed and on the roof? Wow, i'd like to see that picture!

Like the dish in the background Is this all at your place of business? So no cband at home?

Good luck on the inexpensive 4dtv Cheffwan was trying to bid on cheaper 4dtv's as they went by, but ended up with the $300 range. I think its worth the other $100-$150 to get the warranty and everything

PS I spent $70, just on the new steel pole I got before, so twice that for an engineered frame sounds spiffy.

 

[tdti1]

Not a bad deal at all, new they cost a pretty penny, many things you can do to get a bigger pipe on it, rip the middle out go to a local welding shop and get it made, or you can weld a bigger pipe onto the other pipe, basically get a pipe made to go on maybe 15"-25" (depending on your dish mount) with holes like a dish mount at the bottom slide it on the smaller pipe and bolt it in maybe even weld it, and if you wish you can weld or bolt some other bars for more support.

 

[linuxman]

Hi Somery,

The cap for my 7.5 footer is 3-1/2" ID so if I can slide on an 18" section of the next size bigger pipe which if I get schedule 80 well casing and weld it on, I can make the OD of the mast almost 3" and it should work fine.

This is my business, but we also live here. It is a very short commute.

I think you are correct tdti1. It should be fine, and I can also do as you suggested by welding some angle irons up the sides of the bottom for strength if need be.

You are also correct about the price of these things new. I have looked at some similar to this one on the net for $350.00. So even with a few modifications, these are pretty economical.

The dish in the background will probably be scrapped out. I got it for the actuator which works, but I need to take it apart and clean/lube it up good before it goes into service. The dish could be refurbished with a little TLC, but it is only a 7 footer and I am a little hesitant in going smaller than a 7.5 footer.

Now that I have the mounts, I need to go dish hunting. I have a 7.5 footer that I have refurbished and it will replace the 10 footer in the avatar shortly. I need two approximately 8 footers for my family setup and one so I can have a separate dish for my analog.

I think I'll be happy with it.

 

[tdti1]

If you want best results try not to go under 8.5' for C-band, bigger is always better.

 

[linuxman]

Thanks tdti1.

Yes I have read on here before that 8.5' or bigger is better, but I am also fighting wind up on the roof like this, so I don't want anything bigger than an 8.5 footer either.

That's why the old 10 footer is coming down. It loses the KU signal in wind stronger than 25 mph. The old dish outer rim sways and moves the feedhorn. It doesn't take much to lose KU.

The best place for these dishes is on the ground, but I don't have very good LOS on the ground, which is why I am on the roof.

 

[voomvoom]

Nice find Fred! I think you got a good deal for them too. I hope the one sleeve will be enough? All my BUD's (10'ers) have 3+1/2" pipe fittings, well one is 4" and one is 5+1/2". If your 7+1/2' BUD's polar mount will fit the less than 3", thats fine. I also have a 5' BUD (don't use it for C-band), it had a 2+5/8ths" fit (fixed mount). I changed it to a polar mount with a 3+1/2" fit.
Nothing wrong with a dedicated analog receiver with BUD. I wish you luck on finding an inexpensive 4dtv. If you find 2, think of me!

Al

 

[linuxman]

Hey Al,

My 7.5 footer, and the 7 footer you see in the picture both have 3.5" ID pipe caps, and I am hoping the ones that I find for these mounts are the same. If so, after the modification above they will be fine.

I will think of you when I finally find the cheap 4DTV boxes.

Fred

 

[HDTVFanAtic]

Thanks tdti1.

Yes I have read on here before that 8.5' or bigger is better, but I am also fighting wind up on the roof like this, so I don't want anything bigger than an 8.5 footer either.

It's hard to tell from the photos, how many cinderblocks will it take per side.

 

[linuxman]

From what I have read on the Rohn Antenna Mount site, an 8 foot dish would need about 1000 Lbs to sustain a 60 Mph wind.

A concrete block weighs 40 Lbs on average so 25 should do it. 8 to a side on the mounts in the picture.

There is no way to anticipate every kind of catastrophe that could come. Prepare as best you can and carry good insurance.

 

[tdti1]

Always do over kill.

 

[linuxman]

You are correct tdti1.

I have a guy coming this evening to help me decide how to modify my mounts. I have 2 pieces of 3.5" pipe here 1/4" thick wall and he is going to make up new center pieces rather than cobble up the existing ones trying to make the OD bigger.

I can take the 2-3/8" centerpieces and make mounts for Ku dishes.