telephone pole

[tstp]

Hi All
I had a standard dish setup on a metal pole in my back yard. (direct TV did the installation).
I got a HD TV for xmas, so I ordered the HD upgrade.
The DT installer came out to the house and said he would have to put the new dish up higher because of the trees.
The landlord won't let any dish put on the roof/or attached to the building.
There is an un-used telephone pole in the same area. It must of been a leftover from when the phone/electric wires where on poles or when the apartments where being constructed.
Now evertying is underground.
No wires are connected to the pole and it sits about three feet from my apartment right next to the windows that the pole mounted wires are coming in from.
My landlord said I could put the dish on that.
Has anyone put a HD dish on a telephone pole? Think I could call DT back and try another install of the HD service?
thank you
Tom
Happy New Year

 

[msufan]

I've got one of those KA/KU HD dishes on a upgrade a couple of months ago and it has like a stand on it because its so heavy. If the installer told me what is right, you won't be able to mount that HD dish to a pole like that because it won't have the extra support it needs and required for them to put in. You couldn't mount that stand to a telephone pole, it'd be too wide for the pole unless it can adjust to that small a width and I don't think it can. He told me the arm alone isn't over the long haul enough to support it. I know someone who had the wind get a hold of one and it ripped a corner of his roof because that stand wasn't on it. You might be able to get it if its someone who doesn't care about that but this person sounds like he does.

 

[jdc20006]

If he knows what he is doing he can mount to a telephone pole, you can take the braces (long ones) and mount one underneath and above it. I've mounted ka/ku dishes on 4x4 using this method and I can assure you, its just as stable as a roof mount. Their are two types of braces for those dishes, long ones and short ones. The longer ones are the only ones that will give it the support it needs, but it can be done.

 

[iwc5893]

If he knows what he is doing he can mount to a telephone pole, you can take the braces (long ones) and mount one underneath and above it. I've mounted ka/ku dishes on 4x4 using this method and I can assure you, its just as stable as a roof mount. Their are two types of braces for those dishes, long ones and short ones. The longer ones are the only ones that will give it the support it needs, but it can be done.

Provided that the installer doesn't have to place his ladder against the pole to mount the dish. If he does, the weight from the ladder will cause the pole to flex and you will have alignment issues.

 

[Jimbo]

Provided that the installer doesn't have to place his ladder against the pole to mount the dish. If he does, the weight from the ladder will cause the pole to flex and you will have alignment issues.

I doubt it.

tstp,
to the site !
If the installer says that he is comfortable doing it, the pole will work fine, he will need to modify the mast.
Provided the pole is on the apt complex property and the landlord is ok with it.
I would still get the landlords OK in writing, incase he changes his mind at a later date / or someone else would buy the place you can show that it was agreed on.

How tall is the pole ?
Is it a standard telephone pole or does it get real narrow at the top ?
If it is standard, it will work nicely.

Jimbo

 

[raoul5788]

Provided that the installer doesn't have to place his ladder against the pole to mount the dish. If he does, the weight from the ladder will cause the pole to flex and you will have alignment issues.

I doubt a properly installed telephone pole will move at all from the weight of someone on a ladder.

 

[Jimbo]

I doubt a properly installed telephone pole will move at all from the weight of someone on a ladder.

I know,
I'm on them all day long with a 75lb ladder and my body weight and they don't move unless they are broke or what they call a Gin pole (very small at the top, they are designed to be temparary)

Jimbo

 

[Claude Greiner]

I see no issue with it

 

[iwc5893]

I doubt a properly installed telephone pole will move at all from the weight of someone on a ladder.

I've had it happen to me. It doesn't have to flex much to cause signal problems.

 

[raoul5788]

I've had it happen to me. It doesn't have to flex much to cause signal problems.

A telephone pole has to weigh at least 500-700 lbs. I don't see how leaning against it, unless you are at the very top, is going to make it move at all.

 

[Jimbo]

I've had it happen to me. It doesn't have to flex much to cause signal problems.

I've seen installers mount them on TREES, now you know that they will grow and they still do it.
As long as the pole is not in use, you should be ok.
otherwise you cannot use it,if it was being used as NOTHING should be on the poles, even though I've seen them used for clothes lines and plant holders and just about anything you can think of, technically, the Phone or Edison people have the right to take anything on the pole down.

OP, I know you mentioned that it was not being used ...

Jimbo

 

[grydlok]

I've seen installers mount them on TREES, now you know that they will grow and they still do it.
As long as the pole is not in use, you should be ok.
otherwise you cannot use it,if it was being used as NOTHING should be on the poles, even though I've seen them used for clothes lines and plant holders and just about anything you can think of, technically, the Phone or Edison people have the right to take anything on the pole down.

OP, I know you mentioned that it was not being used ...

Jimbo

Just because people mount to trees doesn't make it right.
You or I have no way of knowing it that a utility pole installed a Local municipality, or a Light pole that some people or private company installed. I put my laddder on many of the poles and they moved. Why do you think every few years Telephone, Power, City will replaces the pole in ground.

 

[grydlok]

A telephone pole has to weigh at least 500-700 lbs. I don't see how leaning against it, unless you are at the very top, is going to make it move at all.

You would be surprised. Over time the earth gives out around them, and the wood will rot.

 

[Jimbo]

There fore it is up to the OP to find out if the pole is in a place that is the landlords property, (as I posted earlier) and that it is ok for them to use it, thn if the installer decides to do it, thats up to him.
Would I do it that way, NO, but it was brought up and I gave information about the pole and who it belongs to , to be checked into first, as a last resort I might do it, it sounds like it IS the OP's last resort.

I have seen plenty of poles rot out, however they do last quite a long tme.
We replace poles as they rot, I started placing them 18 years ago and don't recall ever going out on one that has rotten in that time. (that was put in , in that time frame.)

Plain and simple, if it's not a good solid pole, they won't mount it, furthermore, why can't they mount a pole next to the telephone pole ?

btw, there are EASY ways to know who the pole belongs to, read the tag on it, it's about 6 ft high from the ground and it will tell you who it belongs to.

Jimbo