I have a 36inch dish, is there a certain way thats better to install on that vinyl siding?

Do you have a wall mount for the dish? If so screw a strip of wood at the low valley of the siding. Make sure you find a stud to shoot the screws into. Place another strip of wood a little lower in another valley that the wall mount can straddle, again screwing into a stud behind the siding. Now screw your wall mount to the wood strips. This will avoid crushing the siding and some day when you take it down there will only be a few small holes that can be caulked. Easy!

Three step process:
- dig hole
- drop in pole
- pour cement.

- :up

For a small dish, if you dig hole, and drop in pole that has a fin below frost line (48"), and omit the cement -- is it a recipe for periodic problems? It's my temporary arrangement, just wondering what to expect.

Toucan, if the ground is pretty firm and you don't live in a place where the ground is constantly saturated with water, then you can get away with it. Remember though that Ku has tighter tolerances than C-band so any movement will really effect things. I did it for my 6' cband with no issues, but it was pretty tight clay and it never moved at all. If its just temporary, go for it.

I didnt think of using wood strips. Sounds good. I also like the pole idea, but it would have to be like maybe a 12 foot pole or maybe 15 feet.

I have a 36inch dish, is there a certain way thats better to install on that vinyl siding?

yeah...dont install it on there ;)

yeah...dont install it on there ;)

Yeah I really dont have anywhere else to put the dish. I aint a roof person either. I did find something on solidsignal for mounting sat dishes on vinyl siding.

For a small dish, if you dig hole, and drop in pole that has a fin below frost line (48"), and omit the cement -- is it a recipe for periodic problems? It's my temporary arrangement, just wondering what to expect.
I don't have frost to deal with, and don't know what your ground is like, but I suspect good sense will prove a winning combination.

For one point, a pole with dish only, puts less strain on the pole than a motorized setup.
A short pole has less leverage (in the wind) to rock the boat.
I like 3' in the ground and maybe 5' above (about chest height), but shorter or deeper will be more stable.
4' down and 3' or 4' above ground might be a more reliable solution - Dee Ann did wonders with dishes down on the deck. - :up
Anything you can do to pack the dirt tighter, maybe with some rocks, and a little water, might benefit you in the long run.
If you're digging for a small pole, then dig a small hole , maybe with a post-hole digger.
The less disturbed the ground is beyond your actual hole, the more solid the results.

I used one of these siding savers for my 30" dish and it worked just fine. These units will fit a couple different standard sizes of vinyl siding (D4, D5 etc).
http://sidingsaver.ca/
Not the easiest things to find in store but you can get them online I believe too. Worked quite nice.

mounting on siding would be an absolute last resort for me....ground or roof would be preferred....

i guess if i absolutely HAD to do it, i would mount a piece of plywood to the wall big enough to cover the entire mounting area and paint it with a good weatherproof paint....then mount the dish to there....

this is assuming the dish is ku and no bigger than 1.2m....

bucket full of cement?
bolted to a shipping pallet with cinder blocks on top?

I envision a dish plopped in the snow while while a piece of siding flaps in a blizzard wind

Yeah I really dont have anywhere else to put the dish. I aint a roof person either. I did find something on solidsignal for mounting sat dishes on vinyl siding.

What do you have against roof mounting?

It is installed as of 2 days ago. I used some thick nylon spacers for the bottom 2 lag bolts and leveled out the arm properly. Its tight it isn't going anywhere, it was windy yesterday evening and it was fine no movement. @ Baird Mounts (http://www.satelliteguys.us/member.php?u=164869) I have nothing against roof installs, I am only against having to go up on roof myself, since I am not a roof person.

bucket full of cement?
bolted to a shipping pallet with cinder blocks on top?

I envision a dish plopped in the snow while while a piece of siding flaps in a blizzard wind

Care to place a bet? lol

It is installed as of 2 days ago.
I used some thick nylon spacers for the bottom 2 lag bolts and leveled out the arm properly.

I have nothing against roof installs, I am only against having to go up on roof myself, since I am not a roof person.

...hrmmm... nylon spacers, eh?
Not feelin' the love, there.
Maybe you should post some pictures and show us how well it worked out. ;)

As for 'roof' , I've gone as far as the eaves with a few dishes, and that's my limit.
If it was a two-story house, then I wouldn't even go that high.
The days of ham antenna above the roof are long gone.

...hrmmm... nylon spacers, eh?
Not feelin' the love, there.
Maybe you should post some pictures and show us how well it worked out. ;)

As for 'roof' , I've gone as far as the eaves with a few dishes, and that's my limit.
If it was a two-story house, then I wouldn't even go that high.
The days of ham antenna above the roof are long gone.

Yeah there pretty thick spacers. Its also been pretty windy for 2 days, the only thing that tiles and freezes is the dish network system, not the fta system, it hasnt budged.
I could get a picture up, probably start a new topic.

No, you're the OP (original poster, or thread starter), so it's yours.
You bolted to the wall through the siding and used the nylon spacers.
Post some pictures of the dish 'n mount right here.
It's certainly on-topic! - :up

The fact that it's holding the signal when your DN dish is blowing in the wind, is a good test.
Maybe show a picture of that , too.
We might laugh at the lousy job the installer did, or suggest ways to stabilize it, too. ;)

I got some pics, it use to point to97w, but now its 91w7048970490

Whatuser,

I am pleased to win the contest of "how to mount your dish".
You took my suggestion, improved on it with a better spacer, and put it up.
Nice job, looks good to me.

It kinda depends on what's underneath the siding. If there's no insulation underneath, it should be fine.

Nice job. - :up
Very clever the way you used the tilt of the foot to match the angle of the siding.
But, those side support struts make all the difference.
So, if you're happy, I'm happy.
Just hope all your lag bolts go into something solid beneath the siding (actual studs, not just the wall material)

I got some pics, it use to point to97w, but now its 91w

What do you see there? Not much on 91 Ku is there?

Just RTV and tuff tv and a few other ones that pop in and out on occasion. Saw a quick recap of a foot ball game on it sunday, I think Mississippi and some other one. and then it disappeared. Wild feed I assume. Just got tired of all the jibberish on 97w.:eek:

Just RTV and tuff tv and a few other ones that pop in and out on occasion.
Sounds like you are on 83, not 91.

Sounds like you are on 83, not 91.

Oddly enough I am getting a decent reading on my meter from 91 and 83....:confused:

Oddly enough I am getting a decent reading on my meter from 91 and 83....:confused:

if you are getting RTV and TUFF you are on 83w