Tall Trees

[smokey12@mlode.com]

I tried to search this topic but I was unable to get the search engine to accept my query. It kept saying that the search was too short?
Anyway my question revolves around my unique situation of my home sitting on the N/E corner of a hill and I have some very tall pine trees that obscure the S/E sky and unfortunately are not located on my property . My only hope to get a clear shot is to mount a dish on a very tall pine that overlooks my roof and would provide a clear shot if the dish is mounted approx. 65' up this tree. Is this out of the question given the fact that the tree will probably sway whenever the wind blows over 8-10 mph? Cable is here but not in HD and will probably never be upgraded in the near future. My neighbor gets a signal but he is across the street and probably 50' higher in elevation and about 200' away in distance.

 

[KE4EST]

No I would not mount it in a tree. It is hard to to get a signal sometimes when you are surrounded by tree's.

Also to SatelliteGuys!!

 

[navy8ball]

have you talked to the owner of the trees maybe they are willing to trim or cut them down if you pay for it.

 

[skyviewmark]

If I owned my equipment. And can do the install myself.. And my choice was nothing or mounting a dish in a tree if it would work then you can bet I would be climbing a tree to mount the dish.. Don't let anyone tell you that it couldn't work. That being said.. It isn't the greatest solution, and you will have problems with it. Trees grow.. Trees move in the wind. So you will have to repeak it as things happen.. Not having seen the trees you are talking about I can't say that this could even work because you still have to have clear line of site off of the tree.. Before you grab your climbing boots, make sure you have exausted all other possibilities..

 

[KAB]

What about S/W, getting HD off 129?

 

[boba]

If I owned my equipment. And can do the install myself.. And my choice was nothing or mounting a dish in a tree if it would work then you can bet I would be climbing a tree to mount the dish.. Don't let anyone tell you that it couldn't work. That being said.. It isn't the greatest solution, and you will have problems with it. Trees grow.. Trees move in the wind. So you will have to repeak it as things happen.. Not having seen the trees you are talking about I can't say that this could even work because you still have to have clear line of site off of the tree.. Before you grab your climbing boots, make sure you have exausted all other possibilities..

MAKE SURE your life insurance is paid up. If you need to be 65' up a tree to have a chance get cable your life is more important than HDTV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cparker]

I'd erect a tower before I'd mount in a tree

 

[lumpkin666]

100' of rohn tower would be much easier. Plus you can add a nice terrestrial/HD antenna while you're up there

 

[chadzx11]

If I owned my equipment. And can do the install myself.. And my choice was nothing or mounting a dish in a tree if it would work then you can bet I would be climbing a tree to mount the dish.. Don't let anyone tell you that it couldn't work. That being said.. It isn't the greatest solution, and you will have problems with it. Trees grow.. Trees move in the wind. So you will have to repeak it as things happen.. Not having seen the trees you are talking about I can't say that this could even work because you still have to have clear line of site off of the tree.. Before you grab your climbing boots, make sure you have exausted all other possibilities..

There is a huge difference between YOU risking YOUR life to install YOUR satellite, and you asking ME to risk MINE to install YOUR satellite.

As an installer, I would not do it, period.

As a homeowner, I would not allow anyone to take such risks on my property. IMO, people are too quick to sue for me to bend over and spread my cheeks like that.

Paying a proper contractor to erect a proper tower is a much better and more appropriate solution, but since we are talking about putting a dish 65' up in a tree, I think we can assume that someone is NOT willing to pay for that.

 

[Remilk]

I have a very old oak tree that I mounted and antenna on. This tree has a circumference of about 6.5 feet. The antenna was about 10 feet above the ground. I smoothed out the back to ensure the mount was vertical.

Once a year, I had to slightly reposition the dish to account for tree ring growth.

I had no problem with swaying or signal blockage with the antenna on the tree.

This is my experience, your most likely will differ.

Bob

 

[Van]

10ft as compared to 65ft is a bigger differ specialy on pines. Its not worth the risk of falling to get satellite so I would stick with cable or ota. The craziest tree mount I had seen was for a house that had %100 blockage of the sky, the customer insisted that I use a tree mount and I declined, he said he already had a dish in a tree and pointed straight up about 100ft to a direct dish mounted into the canopy. No way was I going up there and I found out that he had never used it as it was from the previous owner.

Tree's sway, tree's twist as they grow, tree's also expand as they grow and will either grow over the foot plate or pop the heads off the bolts that are securing the mount into the tree.

 

[meitedlce]

I'm a dish installer

"Crazy"

Maybe 61.5 prog only.

 

[Van]

Yea......I wouldnt make any moves to the 61.5 anytime soon and really the programming choices on 61.5 are mostly international programming along with Sky Angel, some locals, HD packages and business end programming for companies like Bush beer and Remax to name a few.

 

[Claude Greiner]

No way was I going up there and I found out that he had never used it as it was from the previous owner.

When I was installing I used to get that crap from customers all the time trying to get me to climb their steep roofs so they can get satellite.

I specifically remember one customer telling me his roof was not that bad, I told him I was still not going up there and if he wanted to go up there I would be happy to hold the ladder

Best one was when I did a DISH500 upgrade for a house on Lake St. Clair in grosse Pointe. It was a million dollar home with a very steep roof, and I flat out told the customer to go rent a cherry picker because I was not going up there!

The customer got pist off and then called the dealer I was doing the install for and complained. The dealer ran out there and we got into it and he ended up going on the roof himself to do the Job while I held the ladder.

He went up there alright and got the Job done, but on the way down slipped on the wood shake roof and almost fell off. If it wasn't for the guy having his foot get stuck in the copper gutter, he probably would have been seriously hurt!

All this over an upgrade that paid $80

 

[Bijou Media]

When I was installing I used to get that crap from customers all the time trying to get me to climb their steep roofs so they can get satellite.

I specifically remember one customer telling me his roof was not that bad, I told him I was still not going up there and if he wanted to go up there I would be happy to hold the ladder

Best one was when I did a DISH500 upgrade for a house on Lake St. Clair in grosse Pointe. It was a million dollar home with a very steep roof, and I flat out told the customer to go rent a cherry picker because I was not going up there!

The customer got pist off and then called the dealer I was doing the install for and complained. The dealer ran out there and we got into it and he ended up going on the roof himself to do the Job while I held the ladder.

He went up there alright and got the Job done, but on the way down slipped on the wood shake roof and almost fell off. If it wasn't for the guy having his foot get stuck in the copper gutter, he probably would have been seriously hurt!

All this over an upgrade that paid $80

This reminds me (didn't want to be reminded of this) of an install with this house with a very steep roof. I told the customer I could get up there with a bucket truck. They thought I was going to do that for free. ROFLMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah I'm going to pay a guy with a bucket truck to come out here so I can lose money installing your dish! Digital Dish backed the customer up on this LOL! I told them they could go there, and do it then.

 

[Bijou Media]

Here's the thing about installing on a tree.

The tree at that high up will sway. Mounting on a tree that grows won't work in a few month, or year do to tree growing. leaves will get in the way. Nobody is stupid enough to climb that high.

 

[smokey12@mlode.com]

Thanks for your candid replies, I should have detailed my experiences up to this point as a background for you guys. About three years ago I called a dish installer out to take advantage of one of their "special deals". The guy came out and promptly bolted his dish to the side of my house just below the eves facing the S/E sky. He then tried to get a signal on his dish and found out that it wouldn't work. He spent the next 30 minutes walking around with a dish pointed at the sky looking for a signal and announced that it wasn't possible. He then removed the dish (the holes are still visible) and left. In the meantime my neighbor gets a dish installed and the installer tell them that he could get a signal at my house if I wanted him to.
I wait three years and then call DirectTV in response to their free this and that offer. I explain to the lady on the phone that I had a failed attempt three years earlier and she assures me that since then more satellites have been added to the sky, and this is no longer a problem in many areas. LOL she could sell snake oil, I agree and set up an install date.The "professional" installer announces that he is the area manager and he feels that the best spot for me to install a dish is 65' up my pine tree. My son in law who is an arborist, and climbs trees for a living, is standing there and replies, I'll do it that, it will be a piece of cake. My answer was let me check into this a little more before I let anyone climb a tree and install a dish that may need tuning every year or so. The "professional" installer takes some pictures of my area for his records and leaves instructing me to call him back when we are prepared to climb that tree. Since then I have done some research that has told me NOT to mount this thing in a tree. I do not mind paying for a tower or any other devices, cost is not an issue. I want High Def for my new Sony 52" XBR4 and cable does not offer it in my rural area. In the mean time I called some local installers and asked them to do a site survey and advise me of my options. A Dish Network guy came out and spent considerable time checking out all options and he feels that he can get a good direct line of sight from my roof ridge. So we have ordered the service and will find out soon enough if he is right. Or I will have more holes in my house to look at. I hope he is right.