Slimline Pole install

[joedekock]

I have researched extensively the last couple of days on the subject of doing a slimline dish pole mount. I have found some good resources, but most of the info on these and other forums is older. So I just want to verify with others who may have had this done, or done it.

What I am looking to do is mount my slimline on a pole next to my garage. I just re-did my roof, and really do not like mounting my dish on the roof. I hate putting holes in my roof, and if the dishes were to change again in the future for any reason like when I went from my old triple lnb to the slimeline, the previous dishes mounting bracket and dimensions for the drilled holes do not fit, and you either need to leave the old bracket, or plug the old holes.

I know I need to use 2" galvanized steel pipe, and make sure it is thick as possible. I know I should bury the pipe 3 ft. in the ground and pour cement in the hole. I plan to run it next to my garage, so to get it over the roof, I need it to be 8-10 ft. above the ground. I plan on strapping the top of the pole to the garage under the eve trough. or to the side of it, making sure it is tightly held to the roof line for stabilization.

Does this sound like I am on the right track, or should I say screw it and mount it to the roof in the area I had it before. I would like to do the pole mount, because then I could move the dish to the back of the garage where it is less visible, instead of having it on the front where it is very visible from the road, as well as the reasons I stated above.

Thanks!

 

[raoul5788]

I have researched extensively the last couple of days on the subject of doing a slimline dish pole mount. I have found some good resources, but most of the info on these and other forums is older. So I just want to verify with others who may have had this done, or done it.

What I am looking to do is mount my slimline on a pole next to my garage. I just re-did my roof, and really do not like mounting my dish on the roof. I hate putting holes in my roof, and if the dishes were to change again in the future for any reason like when I went from my old triple lnb to the slimeline, the previous dishes mounting bracket and dimensions for the drilled holes do not fit, and you either need to leave the old bracket, or plug the old holes.

I know I need to use 2" galvanized steel pipe, and make sure it is thick as possible. I know I should bury the pipe 3 ft. in the ground and pour cement in the hole. I plan to run it next to my garage, so to get it over the roof, I need it to be 8-10 ft. above the ground. I plan on strapping the top of the pole to the garage under the eve trough. or to the side of it, making sure it is tightly held to the roof line for stabilization.

Does this sound like I am on the right track, or should I say screw it and mount it to the roof in the area I had it before. I would like to do the pole mount, because then I could move the dish to the back of the garage where it is less visible, instead of having it on the front where it is very visible from the road, as well as the reasons I stated above.

Thanks!

It sounds like you have the right idea. Make sure the bottom of the pole is either flattened or has a bolt through it to keep it from spinning. You can find a long enough 2" pole at a good fence company. Make sure where you attach it to the house is very strong. I think you should dig deeper than 3 feet, though. The frost line in W. Michigan is likely 42-48". Good luck, and post some pictures when you are done. We like pictures!

 

[toober]

If that's what makes you happy and you can get the top of the pole sturdy enough, it sounds good to me. The only thing I would suggest is that instead of trying to strap the top to the garage, you get a set of brace arms and bolt them to the structure.

 

[Mike500]

You will have a tough time finding a pole that is exactly the TWO(2) inches needed for the Slimline mounting socket.

What is called two inch pipe has an actual diameter of 2-3/8 inches in outer diameter.

As countacting installers, our solution is to use 1-1/4 inch nominal pipe or rigid conduit. The actual diameter tis 1-5/8 inches.

To get two inches, a fellow subcontractor of mine developed a high quality adapter that allows the two inch socket to mount and clamp directly onto the 1-5/8 inch pole.

For those, who are interested, he sells them for a very reasonable price on eBay;

DirecTV AT9/AU9 KA/KU Adapter for old 1-5/8" pole - eBay (item 150236890897 end time Apr-22-08 06:28:20 PDT)

10 ft lengths of the rigid conduit are available at either Lowe's or Home Depot. That would allow burial way below the post line.

 

[Dwrecked]

are you sure you can't relocate the dish to a spot where the garage wouldn't be in the way? This way you might be able to avoid the 10' pole.

 

[Jimbo]

I have researched extensively the last couple of days on the subject of doing a slimline dish pole mount. I have found some good resources, but most of the info on these and other forums is older. So I just want to verify with others who may have had this done, or done it.

What I am looking to do is mount my slimline on a pole next to my garage. I just re-did my roof, and really do not like mounting my dish on the roof. I hate putting holes in my roof, and if the dishes were to change again in the future for any reason like when I went from my old triple lnb to the slimeline, the previous dishes mounting bracket and dimensions for the drilled holes do not fit, and you either need to leave the old bracket, or plug the old holes.

I know I need to use 2" galvanized steel pipe, and make sure it is thick as possible. I know I should bury the pipe 3 ft. in the ground and pour cement in the hole. I plan to run it next to my garage, so to get it over the roof, I need it to be 8-10 ft. above the ground. I plan on strapping the top of the pole to the garage under the eve trough. or to the side of it, making sure it is tightly held to the roof line for stabilization.

Does this sound like I am on the right track, or should I say screw it and mount it to the roof in the area I had it before. I would like to do the pole mount, because then I could move the dish to the back of the garage where it is less visible, instead of having it on the front where it is very visible from the road, as well as the reasons I stated above.

Thanks!

Sounds like your doing EXACTLY what I did .....

Make sure you drill a hole thru the bottom of the pole and place a bolt thru it, this will keep the pole from turning in the future.

If you were on the EAST side of the state, I would consider driving up and giving you a hand ...

Jimbo

 

[Jimbo]

You will have a tough time finding a pole that is exactly the TWO(2) inches needed for the Slimline mounting socket.

What is called two inch pipe has an actual diameter of 2-3/8 inches in outer diameter.

As countacting installers, our solution is to use 1-1/4 inch nominal pipe or rigid conduit. The actual diameter tis 1-5/8 inches.

To get two inches, a fellow subcontractor of mine developed a high quality adapter that allows the two inch socket to mount and clamp directly onto the 1-5/8 inch pole.

For those, who are interested, he sells them for a very reasonable price on eBay;

DirecTV AT9/AU9 KA/KU Adapter for old 1-5/8" pole - eBay (item 150236890897 end time Apr-22-08 06:28:20 PDT)

10 ft lengths of the rigid conduit are available at either Lowe's or Home Depot. That would allow burial way below the post line.

1 5/8th is way to small.

Go ahead and get the 2" pole, it will be 1 7/8th .

Take a screw and drill it thru the mast once you have everything set, you'll be fine, mines been working for me for over 2 years now

Jimbo

 

[jdspencer]

One important thing in any install is to make sure the mast/pole is absolutely plumb.

 

[Mike500]

1 5/8th is way to small.Jimbo

In the case of a thin walled 16 gauge 1-5/8 galvanized chain link fence line post, I would fully agree with that statement.

However, the strength of a pole is determinded by both the diameter and the wall. In using a smaller diameter, I would indoubtly use a pole with a thicker wall to compemsate for a smaller diameter. The composite or, in effect, the ferro-cement pole like reinforced concrete would be the strongest pole. In retrofitting an existing thinwall 1-5/8 pole, we taje a "T" section farmer's fence post and insert it inside the top. Then we fill in the space with a concrete grout. In new installs for AT9's and slimlines we use a vcombination of the thinwall post and the full Tee post. The blad serves as a non-twist anchor. And, contrary to conventional wisdom. the metal does not need to go below the frost line. The concrete can go that far, at least. A straight sided concrete plug is less likely to be heaved by frost.

Go ahead and get the 2" pole, it will be 1 7/8th .

Take a screw and drill it thru the mast once you have everything set, you'll be fine, mines been working for me for over 2 years now

Jimbo

1-7/8 is too small and will wobble and spin, with the clamping bolts fully tightened. That's why the screw is needed.

Both Winegard and Dish Network has successfully used 1-5/8 post for dish with similar size, mass and surface area as the AT9 and the Slimline.

The history of the pole sizes correlate with the manufacturing history of these dishes. They were manufactered in the USA until approzimately 3-4 years, ago. That's why most early mounts were 1-5/8 or 2-3/8 inches.

Currently, the two inch standard was established due to foreign manufacturing and the availability of 50 mm tubing, which is two inches.

If Direct was so concerned about strength, they would have specified 2-3/8, which is widely available in the US.

I won't discuss it fully, here, but for those who are trained engineers, the Cantilevered Beam Strength Test on a Tinius Olsen machine.using representative samples of each pole would provide the definitive answer.

 

[Jimbo]

In the case of a thin walled 16 gauge 1-5/8 galvanized chain link fence line post, I would fully agree with that statement.

However, the strength of a pole is determinded by both the diameter and the wall. In using a smaller diameter, I would indoubtly use a pole with a thicker wall to compemsate for a smaller diameter. The composite or, in effect, the ferro-cement pole like reinforced concrete would be the strongest pole. In retrofitting an existing thinwall 1-5/8 pole, we taje a "T" section farmer's fence post and insert it inside the top. Then we fill in the space with a concrete grout. In new installs for AT9's and slimlines we use a vcombination of the thinwall post and the full Tee post. The blad serves as a non-twist anchor. And, contrary to conventional wisdom. the metal does not need to go below the frost line. The concrete can go that far, at least. A straight sided concrete plug is less likely to be heaved by frost.



1-7/8 is too small and will wobble and spin, with the clamping bolts fully tightened. That's why the screw is needed.

Both Winegard and Dish Network has successfully used 1-5/8 post for dish with similar size, mass and surface area as the AT9 and the Slimline.

The history of the pole sizes correlate with the manufacturing history of these dishes. They were manufactered in the USA until approzimately 3-4 years, ago. That's why most early mounts were 1-5/8 or 2-3/8 inches.

Currently, the two inch standard was established due to foreign manufacturing and the availability of 50 mm tubing, which is two inches.

If Direct was so concerned about strength, they would have specified 2-3/8, which is widely available in the US.

I won't discuss it fully, here, but for those who are trained engineers, the Cantilevered Beam Strength Test on a Tinius Olsen machine.using representative samples of each pole would provide the definitive answer.

Isn't 1 5/8th smaller than the 1 7/8th I mentioned to use ? 1 7/8th is much closer to 2" .

Sounds like an aweful hassle to make a 1 5/8th work from the way you explained it above.

Jimbo

 

[Mike500]

No, not really.

You can use the existing pole or you can always switch the customer to Dish Network to DirecTV and back in a heartbeat.

My fellow subciontractors like carrying one pole in our trucks.

 

[Jimbo]

One important thing in any install is to make sure the mast/pole is absolutely plumb.

joedekock,
THIS is the most IMPORTANT step in the whole process.

Jimbo

 

[satfrat]

Plumb. Plumb. Plumb. I live in Vermont and mine was only set 3' under the ground and mine sits 6' above ground,, ice for cleaning off the snow. A clean Slimline is also a biggie for HD,,,, HD needs all the signal it can get. Short runs,,,, D* says 100',, my installer said no longer than 75' but bottom line, the shorter the cable the stronger the signal.
Good luck with your installation. My setup is my avatar.

Cheers,
Robin

 

[Jimbo]

Plumb. Plumb. Plumb. I live in Vermont and mine was only set 3' under the ground and mine sits 6' above ground,, ice for cleaning off the snow. A clean Slimline is also a biggie for HD,,,, HD needs all the signal it can get. Short runs,,,, D* says 100',, my installer said no longer than 75' but bottom line, the shorter the cable the stronger the signal.
Good luck with your installation. My setup is my avatar.

Cheers,
Robin

Cable length if it's quality cable (RG-6) is not an issue.
When the slimline first came out, it was tested and was stable at 2-250 ft runs.

Jimbo

 

[joedekock]

Thanks for all the good info here fellas!

It sounds like I am on the right track anyway. I will be sure to get some good galvanized fence pipe, or some rigid conduit that is at least 1 7/8". I figured "plum" was the key word in all of this too. I know when my dish was just a touch out of alignment on my roof, I noticed that the last installer did not plum the mast at all since its built in level was way off. if I am going to be able to use the latitude, longitude, and azimuth numbers out of my set up, I figure it would be easier of that built in level was as close to perfect as possible!

In the end I figure it will only need to be 7-8 ft. off the ground, and I will heed the advice from an earlier poster, and bury 4 ft. in the ground.

I don't know if I will get to it this weekend yet, but I will post some pictures when I am done!

 

[raoul5788]

Thanks for all the good info here fellas!

It sounds like I am on the right track anyway. I will be sure to get some good galvanized fence pipe, or some rigid conduit that is at least 1 7/8". I figured "plum" was the key word in all of this too. I know when my dish was just a touch out of alignment on my roof, I noticed that the last installer did not plum the mast at all since its built in level was way off. if I am going to be able to use the latitude, longitude, and azimuth numbers out of my set up, I figure it would be easier of that built in level was as close to perfect as possible!

In the end I figure it will only need to be 7-8 ft. off the ground, and I will heed the advice from an earlier poster, and bury 4 ft. in the ground.

I don't know if I will get to it this weekend yet, but I will post some pictures when I am done!

Those built in bubble levels aren't always accurate. It may have been plumb.

 

[HDinCincy]

Mine is roof mounted on my attached garage but I understand not wanting to do that. When I reroof in a few years it's going. I would think getting a 10' (or more) pole plumb would be a b**tch. Why not use a mount into the fascia or wall with the braces? If your eve is sound, it would sure be easier to plumb and align. I'd like to know from our installer community if they think that is a bad choice.

Something like this: Dish Mount Products

Thanks

 

[david6380]

I've done the ground mounts twice and the worst two things are finding the right place for the pole and digging the hole. I went down four feet (I'm in upstate NY) and grounded the dish near the pole with a separate wire. Galvanized pipe is pretty rigid, even at that height. Schedule 40 galvanized 1.5 inch pipe has an outside diamter of 1.90 inches and both my ChannelMaster Gainmaster and my new SlimLine were happy with that, although Directv replaced my Gainmaster and they put a self-tapping metal screw into the pipe just to be sure.

As for walking around the yard with the dish trying to find the signal, check solidsignal.com for the owner's manual for the SlimLine dish. You'll need a signal strength meter and that manual shows how to set up for the 101 and 119 sats. If you can get those two, you should be able to get the others, unless you think you're getting close to trees, in which case you might want to have a professional installer come out and evaluate the situation. Good luck!

Mine is roof mounted on my attached garage but I understand not wanting to do that. When I reroof in a few years it's going. I would think getting a 10' (or more) pole plumb would be a b**tch. Why not use a mount into the fascia or wall with the braces? If your eve is sound, it would sure be easier to plumb and align. I'd like to know from our installer community if they think that is a bad choice.

Something like this: Dish Mount Products

Thanks

 

[Jimbo]

Mine is roof mounted on my attached garage but I understand not wanting to do that. When I reroof in a few years it's going. I would think getting a 10' (or more) pole plumb would be a b**tch. Why not use a mount into the fascia or wall with the braces? If your eve is sound, it would sure be easier to plumb and align. I'd like to know from our installer community if they think that is a bad choice.

Something like this: Dish Mount Products

Thanks

The size of the foot is larger than previous dishes also the weight is much heavier, that is why it's generally not a good idea to do a fascia mount.

Jimbo

 

[HDinCincy]

The size of the foot is larger than previous dishes also the weight is much heavier, that is why it's generally not a good idea to do a fascia mount.

Jimbo

In my case the "foot" will be in the mortar of the brick. the braces will be into the facia. Thoughts?