Initially my Bud was tracking the arc near perfectly for the most part. Lately I have been having issues with certain channels on different birds and not being able to get a lock on them anymore. So I finally decided to put a level on the pole.I checked it on the north side and the east side. The north side is showing spot on for level. The east side is showing a full bubble off from level and seems to be leaning to the east. I don't have enough lead in my behind to push the pole and dish to the west. Surely there has to be a logical way to do this? In the meantime should I expect until I get the pole level again, that this bud will never track properly, meaning no way to compensate for the pole leaning to the east?
Tracking the arc on an unlevel pole
- Thread starter highskies
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Not sure what dish you have, but you should be able to shim the mount to level and just leave the pole crooked for now. However, if the pole is unstable don't bother shimming.
Nickels, dimes and quarters make great shims when you're that far off!
Nickels, dimes and quarters make great shims when you're that far off!
If you have the room and the inclination, you can use wire cable rope and turn buckles to cinch down the pipe to a perfect vertical plumb on all sides.
If you can't pull or push it, but have access to metalworking tools or a machine shop, here is another thought. Get a piece of pipe that has an inner diameter that is only slightly larger than the outer diameter of your existing pipe (scrap metal dealers may have something like this). It only need to be about an 8 to 12 inch piece - this will slide over your existing pole. Get another piece about the same length (at least longer than the collar that goes around the pole on your dish) but that is the same diameter as your existing pole. Also get a piece of thick plate steel (at least 3/8 inch, but thicker would be better) that is 3 or 4 inches larger than the diameter of the pipe in one direction and maybe double that in the other. The idea is that you cut the plate steel into two triangular pieces that will each sit on the end of one of the pieces of pipe. You may need to take them to a machine shop to get this done. But what you want is two identical triangular pieces, that will have holes drilled in the exact same position in each of the points. Then when the triangular pieces are bolted together, you should be able to set them on the end of the larger piece of the pipe when it is standing vertically, and be able to loosen or tighten the nuts without any interference. So you don't want any of the holes too close to the pipes, that's why a bit of excess steel is better than too little. It would also be a really good idea to round off the points of the triangles so they don't impale anyone that happens to fall against them.
You also want to drill holes sideways into the larger pipe itself and thread those holes. For extra holding power put a nut on a threaded bolt, and then tighten the nut into the hole. Think about how many C-band satellite dishes are attached to the pole, with nuts welded to the collar that secure them from turning. You are basically trying to create a new collar for your existing pole. Then you weld the nuts to the pole (not the bolts, though!) and you weld the triangular plate steel to the ends of the pipes, one piece of steel on each piece of pipe, so each pipe has an open end and a closed end.
Then you stick bolts (nice big ones) or threaded rod through the triangles, as the flat ends of the triangles are facing each other. You stick a bolt through the triangle attached to the larger pipe, put a lockwasher and nut on it, and tighten it down, and do likewise on the other two points (note you are only going through the one triangle for this part). That is the part that will sit on the pole, where the dish is now. Then you put another nut on each bolt, and run it down the bolt an inch or two, and then slide the other triangle onto that, so that the two pieces of pipe are facing away from each other. That other pipe is what your dish will attach to. Finally you put another nut on the other side of the triangle on each of the three points. So each bolt will have three nuts on it, and I'd definitely use lockwashers also.
If you have done it right, you can temporarily lift the dish off the pole, slide this contraption onto the existing pole, then slide the dish onto the smaller pipe. Tighten down the dish and the use the three sets of upper nuts to get the dish level, raising or lowering each point as necessary. You can rotate the bottom part to re-aim your dish before locking it down to the pole. I know this may be a bit hard to visualize but unfortunately I don't have any drawing software and I'm not much of an artist anyway.
The most necessary thing is to make sure the welds are good and extremely strong - you don't want your dish breaking a weld and flying away in a windstorm! And also, you do want to round off those triangle points so no one loses an eye (or worse) if they happen to fall against it. This is just a concept, I assume no liability if something bad happens - it's up to YOU to make this safe for you and the people around you!
You also want to drill holes sideways into the larger pipe itself and thread those holes. For extra holding power put a nut on a threaded bolt, and then tighten the nut into the hole. Think about how many C-band satellite dishes are attached to the pole, with nuts welded to the collar that secure them from turning. You are basically trying to create a new collar for your existing pole. Then you weld the nuts to the pole (not the bolts, though!) and you weld the triangular plate steel to the ends of the pipes, one piece of steel on each piece of pipe, so each pipe has an open end and a closed end.
Then you stick bolts (nice big ones) or threaded rod through the triangles, as the flat ends of the triangles are facing each other. You stick a bolt through the triangle attached to the larger pipe, put a lockwasher and nut on it, and tighten it down, and do likewise on the other two points (note you are only going through the one triangle for this part). That is the part that will sit on the pole, where the dish is now. Then you put another nut on each bolt, and run it down the bolt an inch or two, and then slide the other triangle onto that, so that the two pieces of pipe are facing away from each other. That other pipe is what your dish will attach to. Finally you put another nut on the other side of the triangle on each of the three points. So each bolt will have three nuts on it, and I'd definitely use lockwashers also.
If you have done it right, you can temporarily lift the dish off the pole, slide this contraption onto the existing pole, then slide the dish onto the smaller pipe. Tighten down the dish and the use the three sets of upper nuts to get the dish level, raising or lowering each point as necessary. You can rotate the bottom part to re-aim your dish before locking it down to the pole. I know this may be a bit hard to visualize but unfortunately I don't have any drawing software and I'm not much of an artist anyway.
The most necessary thing is to make sure the welds are good and extremely strong - you don't want your dish breaking a weld and flying away in a windstorm! And also, you do want to round off those triangle points so no one loses an eye (or worse) if they happen to fall against it. This is just a concept, I assume no liability if something bad happens - it's up to YOU to make this safe for you and the people around you!
Not sure what dish you have, but you should be able to shim the mount to level and just leave the pole crooked for now. However, if the pole is unstable don't bother shimming.
Nickels, dimes and quarters make great shims when you're that far off!
The dish is pretty stable. it's not going anywhere that's for sure. Not sure how it eventually started leaning like that. I think I'll try the shimming first since it sounds the easiest to do.
Sounds like you've done this a time or two then. Before I would try all of that, I do have another pole. If nothing else, I might dig another hole in the same vicinity, but far enough from the pole currently in the ground and then start over.
Done this several times for customers who didn't want the expense of resetting the pole. The auger screws tie down straps work great!
If it will only be temporary, a nylon ratchet strap should do the trick!
I thought there was some method to aim a dish on the arc even if the pole wasn't plumb (I think that's one of the highlights of the former Gourmet Entertaining Dish Arc device).
Of course it would likely be more involved than doing a dish tracking procedure with a plumb pole, but it may save you lots of grief and work to be able to find the procedure and go through it.
Of course it would likely be more involved than doing a dish tracking procedure with a plumb pole, but it may save you lots of grief and work to be able to find the procedure and go through it.
A whole bubble off is a LOT! I'd be looking to plant another post but this time in a larger deeper hole to make sure this doesn't happen again. If that post in the ground has moved that much in the past then there's no guarantee that it's not going to move again in the future.
Pro's heathen one side ( approx. 15 cm ) of the pole red hot and cool them with cold water , that side shrinks and the top bent in that direction .
Doing this the lower from the top , the more effect .
Doing this the lower from the top , the more effect .
My first inclination was to suggest a come-along. Yours is a better suggestion as it can be used longer term in the event that the pole isn't going to move back into place.
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