New To FTA

[RFPickle]

Thanks! That's the set up I want.I'll have to trace the cables to the other end. With luck maybe the rest of the hardware is there.

 

[bigg t]

Thats a great find . Now all you need is a titanium controller and you'll be in business. It'll move the dish plus control the feedhorn skew.

 

[RFPickle]

I got the dish support pulled out. I was expecting way more concrete. Looks like they dug a 12" wide hole 5' deep and threw in about 8 bags of Quickrete. Is this normal?

 

[hank123]

Yes that sounds like a well set pole. I have yanked some out with less concrete by hand.

 

[RFPickle]

Yes that sounds like a well set pole. I have yanked some out with less concrete by hand.

Thanks. I believe I can handle that. Originally I thought it was going to be much larger. As long as I don't run into much rock, this should be easy.

 

[hank123]

Biggest thing, make sure and get the pole dead level. If you don't its going to be impossible to track the arc.

 

[armadillo_115]

Personally, I would make your hole wider than 12". I'd go 18" or more. That 12 foot Fiberglass dish needs lots of support.

Now some will say 12" is wide enough...but this is a one shot deal. A bit more digging and a few more bags of concrete now and you'll sleep much better at night when the wind is a howling.

10 years from now, you'll never say: "Crap, I wished I'd used less concrete and saved 40 bucks."

 

[Comptech]

And something not mentioned in this post, your soil composition, here with my 12 footer I could not go deeper than four foot. Hard clay and solid granite. So I took a hand tool and dug out at the bottom of the hole to make a upside down mushroom. Filled with concrete it has stood up to some 80MPH winds.

 

[RFPickle]

Personally, I would make your hole wider than 12". I'd go 18" or more. That 12 foot Fiberglass dish needs lots of support.

Now some will say 12" is wide enough...but this is a one shot deal. A bit more digging and a few more bags of concrete now and you'll sleep much better at night when the wind is a howling.

10 years from now, you'll never say: "Crap, I wished I'd used less concrete and saved 40 bucks."

I agree. As a rule of thumb we usually pour 3x the size of pipe bollards we install to protect stuff. So 8" pipe x 3 = 24" hole. I have a electric cement mixer to make the job a bit easier. I'd rather take no chances.

Thanks for the input!

 

[RFPickle]

I used a satellite finder app on an iPhone to find the best location for the install. Those are very useful. It was helpful in minimizing any tree clearing. I had someone dig the hole and it took them 5 hrs. to go 4'... I kind of felt bad for them because I know how difficult it is to dig in the type of soil I have. I still need to go down at least 1 more foot. I also reconditioned the support pole. I hope to get it set this weekend.

 

[RFPickle]

I have the pole installed today. I brought a power chipping hammer home to dig through the last 12'' of rock. Mixed up 20- 60 lb bags of concrete mix to set it and I'll need about 20 more bags to top it off. With 2400 lbs of concrete I should not have any pole movement once the dish is in place. Next week end I'll start re-assembling the dish.

 

[Titanium]

Did you weld tabs or place a through-bolt in the pole below the cement line to prevent spinning? If not, weld a tab or place a through-bolt before pouring the next batch of cement.

 

[Cham]

Looks like according to the pic in post number 23 he already has

tabs

welded onto the bottom. Should be a good solid post once all the cement cures.

 

[RFPickle]

Looks like according to the pic in post number 23 he already has welded onto the bottom. Should be a good solid post once all the cement cures.

Yes, it has the tabs as noted.

 

[RFPickle]

I used the Dish pointer site to compare the old location to the new location. I'm hoping that if I set it back up just the way it was before, that it should require minor adjustments to dial it in. I'm doing a lot of research and I know I'll have some question soon. I'm trying to figure out if on the initial set up if I need to set up on South or Mag. South.


OLD LOCATION
Your Location Satellite Data Dish Setup Data
Latitude: 33.8112°
Longitude: -84.2013°
Name: 91W GALAXY 17 (G-17)
Distance: 37081km
Motor Latitude: 33.8°
Declination Angle: 5.5°
Dish Elevation: °
Elevation: 50.0°
Azimuth (true): 192.1°
Azimuth (magn.): 197.3°
LNB Skew [?]: 10.0°

NEW LOCATION:
Your Location Satellite Data Dish Setup Data
Latitude: 33.6657°
Longitude: -85.3381°
Name: 91W GALAXY 17 (G-17)
Distance: 37059km
Motor Latitude: 33.7°
Declination Angle: 5.5°
Dish Elevation: °
Elevation: 50.4°
Azimuth (true): 190.1°
Azimuth (magn.): 194.5°
LNB Skew [?]: 8.4°

Dish Skew [?]: 90.0°

 

[Titanium]

Never assume that anything was correct at the previous location. Who knows if it was installed correctly or if the previous owner or tech incorrectly adjusted. Look up the dish elevation angle and declination angle using a modified declination chart or calculator. See: http://www.eskerridge.com/bj/sat/bjdishcalc2.htm

The settings posted above are not calculated for the true south position and should not be used to set the polar mount elevation and declination. For your latitude, the calculator estimates the declination to approx. 4.87 degrees and the elevation 34.77 degrees. The modified setting should track the arc more accurately than the standard declination tables. Do not initially set these angles unless the dish is parked at the center (apex) of the arc.

The magnetic south calculation would be the correct compass reading to use for your location. Your install location may have magnetic anomalies that could make the compass reading different and it should only be be used as a general reference. If the dish is parked at the peak of the arc (centered East/West on the mount), 85w satellite will probably only be a few motor clicks west of center. If the sun is out tomorrow, use a sun calculator to determine when the sun is at

 

[RFPickle]

Never assume that anything was correct at the previous location. Who knows if it was installed correctly or if the previous owner or tech incorrectly adjusted. Look up the dish elevation angle and declination angle using a modified declination chart or calculator. See: http://www.eskerridge.com/bj/sat/bjdishcalc2.htm

The settings posted above are not calculated for the true south position and should not be used to set the polar mount elevation and declination. For your latitude, the calculator estimates the declination to approx. 4.87 degrees and the elevation 34.77 degrees. The modified setting should track the arc more accurately than the standard declination tables. Do not initially set these angles unless the dish is parked at the center (apex) of the arc.

The magnetic south calculation would be the correct compass reading to use for your location. Your install location may have magnetic anomalies that could make the compass reading different and it should only be be used as a general reference. If the dish is parked at the peak of the arc (centered East/West on the mount), 85w satellite will probably only be a few motor clicks west of center. If the sun is out tomorrow, use a sun calculator to determine when the sun is at

Thanks for the reply and link! I'm not sure I understand your last statement "If the sun is out tomorrow, use a sun calculator to determine when the sun is at". I plan on posting step by step set up so I can be corrected if I do something wrong. I appreciate any and all wisdom/comments from the pro's here. I want to get the most out of this dish.

 

[Titanium]

Sorry, the last part got cut off.

Use a sun position calculator or app to determine the time when the sun is at the peak elevation for your location. The calculated time will be somewhere around noon.

With the dish parked at the top of the arc (mount centered), use the shadow from the feedhorn falling on the vertical (center) axis of the of the reflector to align the dish with true south. Mark the mount on the pole for future reference.

 

[RFPickle]

Sorry, the last part got cut off.

Use a sun position calculator or app to determine the time when the sun is at the peak elevation for your location. The calculated time will be somewhere around noon.

With the dish parked at the top of the arc (mount centered), use the shadow from the feedhorn falling on the vertical (center) axis of the of the reflector to align the dish with true south. Mark the mount on the pole for future reference.

Got it. Thanks. http://suncalc.net/#/33.6657,-85.3381,20/2017.02.28/12:53 This one should work. High noon is around 12:55 pm.

 

[Shicks4]

Sorry, the last part got cut off.

Use a sun position calculator or app to determine the time when the sun is at the peak elevation for your location. The calculated time will be somewhere around noon.

With the dish parked at the top of the arc (mount centered), use the shadow from the feedhorn falling on the vertical (center) axis of the of the reflector to align the dish with true south. Mark the mount on the pole for future reference.

Always mark your pole, words to live by when dealing with a c-band dish. Makes life so much easier later.