T-Pod Review.

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Cascade

Goose.
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Jun 1, 2004
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It's not often something simple comes along but when it does you can't help but think, "Why didn't I think of that?"
The T-Pod is an extraordinarily simple idea which is often ignored in favour of overly-complicated methods.

A major problem facing apartment dwelling prospective dishnuts whether they're FTAers or DishNetwork/DirecTV customers is dish placement and mounting.
The T-Pod addresses the problem in a remarkably simple yet effective way.

The usual setup would be either a tripod or a bucket filled with sand or cement with a pole sticking out the top, both these methods have their own pros and cons.
Instead of the usual dish-tripod Comatek have opted for a different design employing the use of a self-assembled flat base along with a standard J-pole which should be included with your dish.

The whole unit arrives in a 26"x3½"x3½" plain white box with an internal layer of protective cardboard.
The necessary screws, nuts and washers are also included along with 4 large rubber adhesive feet which aid stability on smooth surfaces.

tp1.jpg


The main chassis of the T-Pod is constructed of 4 lightweight aluminum square tube sections fastened together with screws and wingnuts.
The aluminum sections are more than adequate in terms of strength and the assembly sheet needs only a quick glance after which the T-Pod will be fully assembled.

tp2.jpg


Testing:

I have a few 18" dishes in my attic which are never used and have been gathering dust for months.
I saw no reason to disturb them which is why I opted for the Winegard 30" dish instead.
Strictly speaking the mount was designed with a regular 18" DishNetwork/DirecTV pan in mind so a 30" dish should give the T-Pod something to complain about.

Although the Winegard dish is a lot heavier as well as being larger than a regular 18" dish the T-Pod remained stable as a rock.
The lower center of gravity helped a lot with stability and the larger 30" parabola wasn't an issue - as long as you have a flat surface for the T-Pod to sit on it'll have no problem whatsoever.

tp7.jpg


The T-Pod is primarily aimed at those who are unable to permanently attach a dish for various reasons, apartments, RV parks etc and in that respect it works very well.
Here in FTA-land it finds even more uses, it'll easily hold a larger 30" dish, it's very lightweight and portable.
One other point about a portable dish is that it makes aiming very easy, just turn the whole assembly round, adjust the dish elevation and you're set.

With a footprint of just over 2' square it opens up the world of consumer satellite and FTA to more people than before.

The T-Pod has been sitting at the bottom of my yard for the past 4 days aimed at AMC4, we've had a couple of windy days courtesy of the remnants of Dennis and it's remained steadfast.

No cement needed.


Thanks to Comazell of Dishstand.com for supplying the review sample.
 
I wonder if it would support a SG2100 :D

Another great review. This looks like a serious must-have for RV users or campers.
Who knew you could easily bring The Tube to the wilderness?
 
Nice one, have you tried it with an inverted dish? That would really be great for people who are looking to hide the dish. The low profile would be a big plus : )

Great idea......wish I had thought of it!
 
PSB said:
Nice one, have you tried it with an inverted dish? That would really be great for people who are looking to hide the dish. The low profile would be a big plus : )

Great idea......wish I had thought of it!

Like this?

tailgate01.jpg
 
Maybe a FTA Retailer could get Modified Version Produced for FTA Satellite Dishes

ftadirect said:
That is awesome.. we have many inquiries about fta with people who live in a apartment.. I will look into carrying this on our site.. :)
Cheers
Rob
www.ftadirect.com


;) Out of curiosity, maybe when you contact the manufacturer/distributor, you could open their eyes to a whole new market of potential customers, FTA Hobbyists, who would love to purchase a unit designed to support 30" and larger dishes, as well as a modification for using motors.

Just a thought!
 
BTW, I considered buying one of these for testing and opted for the"bucket and cement and pole" method. By the time I bought this stuff I was out about $30 and now have to store it. A Tod is about $35 plus shipping and I could have hung it up in my shed neatly out of the way. So anyone considering testing I would say go for this and you could use it as a mobile stand also if you need it for RV etc.
 
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Lots of questions, I'm a newbie again!

RTPi signal loss on AMC4

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