It's not often something simple comes along but when it does you can't help but think, "Why didn't I think of that?"
The T-Pod is an extraordinarily simple idea which is often ignored in favour of overly-complicated methods.
A major problem facing apartment dwelling prospective dishnuts whether they're FTAers or DishNetwork/DirecTV customers is dish placement and mounting.
The T-Pod addresses the problem in a remarkably simple yet effective way.
The usual setup would be either a tripod or a bucket filled with sand or cement with a pole sticking out the top, both these methods have their own pros and cons.
Instead of the usual dish-tripod Comatek have opted for a different design employing the use of a self-assembled flat base along with a standard J-pole which should be included with your dish.
The whole unit arrives in a 26"x3½"x3½" plain white box with an internal layer of protective cardboard.
The necessary screws, nuts and washers are also included along with 4 large rubber adhesive feet which aid stability on smooth surfaces.
The main chassis of the T-Pod is constructed of 4 lightweight aluminum square tube sections fastened together with screws and wingnuts.
The aluminum sections are more than adequate in terms of strength and the assembly sheet needs only a quick glance after which the T-Pod will be fully assembled.
Testing:
I have a few 18" dishes in my attic which are never used and have been gathering dust for months.
I saw no reason to disturb them which is why I opted for the Winegard 30" dish instead.
Strictly speaking the mount was designed with a regular 18" DishNetwork/DirecTV pan in mind so a 30" dish should give the T-Pod something to complain about.
Although the Winegard dish is a lot heavier as well as being larger than a regular 18" dish the T-Pod remained stable as a rock.
The lower center of gravity helped a lot with stability and the larger 30" parabola wasn't an issue - as long as you have a flat surface for the T-Pod to sit on it'll have no problem whatsoever.
The T-Pod is primarily aimed at those who are unable to permanently attach a dish for various reasons, apartments, RV parks etc and in that respect it works very well.
Here in FTA-land it finds even more uses, it'll easily hold a larger 30" dish, it's very lightweight and portable.
One other point about a portable dish is that it makes aiming very easy, just turn the whole assembly round, adjust the dish elevation and you're set.
With a footprint of just over 2' square it opens up the world of consumer satellite and FTA to more people than before.
The T-Pod has been sitting at the bottom of my yard for the past 4 days aimed at AMC4, we've had a couple of windy days courtesy of the remnants of Dennis and it's remained steadfast.
No cement needed.
Thanks to Comazell of Dishstand.com for supplying the review sample.
The T-Pod is an extraordinarily simple idea which is often ignored in favour of overly-complicated methods.
A major problem facing apartment dwelling prospective dishnuts whether they're FTAers or DishNetwork/DirecTV customers is dish placement and mounting.
The T-Pod addresses the problem in a remarkably simple yet effective way.
The usual setup would be either a tripod or a bucket filled with sand or cement with a pole sticking out the top, both these methods have their own pros and cons.
Instead of the usual dish-tripod Comatek have opted for a different design employing the use of a self-assembled flat base along with a standard J-pole which should be included with your dish.
The whole unit arrives in a 26"x3½"x3½" plain white box with an internal layer of protective cardboard.
The necessary screws, nuts and washers are also included along with 4 large rubber adhesive feet which aid stability on smooth surfaces.
The main chassis of the T-Pod is constructed of 4 lightweight aluminum square tube sections fastened together with screws and wingnuts.
The aluminum sections are more than adequate in terms of strength and the assembly sheet needs only a quick glance after which the T-Pod will be fully assembled.
Testing:
I have a few 18" dishes in my attic which are never used and have been gathering dust for months.
I saw no reason to disturb them which is why I opted for the Winegard 30" dish instead.
Strictly speaking the mount was designed with a regular 18" DishNetwork/DirecTV pan in mind so a 30" dish should give the T-Pod something to complain about.
Although the Winegard dish is a lot heavier as well as being larger than a regular 18" dish the T-Pod remained stable as a rock.
The lower center of gravity helped a lot with stability and the larger 30" parabola wasn't an issue - as long as you have a flat surface for the T-Pod to sit on it'll have no problem whatsoever.
The T-Pod is primarily aimed at those who are unable to permanently attach a dish for various reasons, apartments, RV parks etc and in that respect it works very well.
Here in FTA-land it finds even more uses, it'll easily hold a larger 30" dish, it's very lightweight and portable.
One other point about a portable dish is that it makes aiming very easy, just turn the whole assembly round, adjust the dish elevation and you're set.
With a footprint of just over 2' square it opens up the world of consumer satellite and FTA to more people than before.
The T-Pod has been sitting at the bottom of my yard for the past 4 days aimed at AMC4, we've had a couple of windy days courtesy of the remnants of Dennis and it's remained steadfast.
No cement needed.
Thanks to Comazell of Dishstand.com for supplying the review sample.
