fence pipe with concret still loose a little

[ussexplroer]

So as you might have saw my picture I sunk a fence pipe them put cement down it. Yes the pipe got hard but it move a little. I cannot explain a little. It seems more secure one way. The base in the ground it hard and does not move at all. Did I fook it up? I'm pretty sure it is not in a windy spot. But I do know when the wind hits. It might move. ANy other ideas?

Josh

 

[Lak7]

"New" fence pipe may be a little on the weak side. "When I was a Kid" it was a much heavier gage.
If you are now married to that pipe, you could get a thin SonoTube to go around the pipe and fill that with concrete.

 

[updatelee]

you could anchor it with some guywires too, that'll help. I agree the fence pipe is of a cheap grade, I used an electrical mast for my last one. use metal scrapyards often have something that will work too.

 

[turbosat]

What kind of ground are you planting in? I think I would just dig out around it some more, pour more concrete in. Or pull it up and start from square one. The earth is rocky around here and I can get away with a couple of small bags of quickrete on my ku dish poles, if you're in real soil it might take more.

 

[Richo]

I too used fence pipe for my dishes. I too put concrete down the middle of the pipe. The base I dug down 30" to ensure I was below the frost line. I use a 10 1/2" dia plastic bucket which was 15" high. I cut the bottom off the bucket and dropped it over the pipe and centered it setting it on the ground. After cement was dry I cut away the bucket. Maybe over kill but been through two winters and wind, no movement or shifting.

 

[ussexplroer]

oh like I said

Like I said. The base is solid. 100 pounds of concrete for the base. the base is sturdy. Just when I take my hand and move the pipe at the top back and forth. I could be over doing it. Since I will put the dish on it this friday. But when I move the post on the top. It goes back to center on the level. Plus I was not going to put the dish on the top. I was going to lower it down. Worst case. I put a stationary or 2nd dish on it and plant another pipe for my motorized dish.

Josh

 

[Blindowl1234]

If your using the typical fence pipe from the big box store I had the same issue. At my brothers install the Hotdish 90 is about 5 1/2' off the ground. About 30" in concrete. You can easily flex the top of the pole a good 1/4" or more back and forth. Seems to work ok though in the wind. Sounds like your pipe is solid in the ground...just flexing some at the top....Blind

 

[delta_charlie]

So as you might have saw my picture I sunk a fence pipe them put cement down it. Yes the pipe got hard but it move a little. I cannot explain a little. It seems more secure one way. The base in the ground it hard and does not move at all. Did I fook it up? I'm pretty sure it is not in a windy spot. But I do know when the wind hits. It might move. ANy other ideas?

Josh

Hi ussexplroer and the group, what size fence post did you use and how tall is it? Perhaps you used the same size that a fixed dish would be mounted on (1 5/8)? If you plan to use a motor you could have used a much larger size post and that would help with the stiffness. Another option would be to use SCH 40 steel pipe. I recently installed a WS9036 with motor and used SCH 40 2 inch pipe and it is way stiffer then the fence post.

What to do now that the post is already set? Maybe try it as it is, just try to mount the dish motor no more then 4 feet up if you can. Use a light LNB and check the motor for plumb after you install the dish. The weight might pull the mast out of plumb. If so you should be able to true it up using spacers under the flange of the motor. Peak the dish so it is at the max when it is settled - you can gently push on the mast to flex it one way then the other to make sure the dish is peaked when in the middle of the flex.

Hope this helps, DC

 

[ussexplroer]

I bleieve it was a corner pipe

I believed it was a corner pipe. 8ft. But as I said. It was pretty flimsly until I put concrente down it. Honestly next time I think I'll find some conduet. (as some members suguested a slavage yard) I know lowes and home depot both have eletrical or even plumping pipe that is the same size but alot more sturdy and might not even need the concrete down it. As for the base. I went 2.1/2 feet down. Hopefully below the frost line and 100 pounds of concrete. I won't put the dish and motor up top. But a little farther down the pipe. Seems a little more sturdy. I just wanted it up off the ground so I could run the mower by it. Plus it is easy to align it. I already have one picture up of the pipe after I put it up under my return to fta post. I will put some more pictures up on friday after getting the dish / motor up. Also this is KU not cband. I wish it was cband. I got the dish and what not (without pipe). Just not the space in the yard. sigh.

Josh

 

[drboyddrboyd]

How much concrete is down the middle of the pipe? It should probably be full to at least 18" above the ground level....

 

[Larry1]

I filled my pipe to about a 1/2" from the top. When filling the pipe, make sure to use a rod or even an old hockey stick to work the air out of the mix as you are filling the pipe. You might have some air pockets in the pipe. If the pipe is full, then it should not bend. I put another pipe on a 45 deg angle from the top of my pole to the ground to firm it up. (anchored it against my fence) I did not use much concrete in the ground, and mine would move a slight bit. I have much more play in the motor and mounting brackets (and even the dish flexing) than the slight movement of the pole.

 

[Richo]

Pics of what i did.

This a pic of mine. The dish is only mounted 37" above the base. No movement.

 

[ussexplroer]

yes and yes and better news

I filled the pipe to the top. Probably not a good idea. I did pack it down. I think either next time a thicker pipe would work better. Plus I can' t wait. But when I went out tonight to check the post. Less movement. So I think the lengh of pipe and amount of concrete that it was still wet I'm sure. I was thinking of drilling hole at like that back to get to dry faster. But at this point the post is pretty solid. I will update the post if the pole gets even more sturdy and tommorow it looks like I would get a chance to mount and run wire.
I honestly thought setting a post would be covered 100%. But this seems to be a good topic on what to do and not do and not to go overboard. Like those old clothlines that went to china and has so much concrete you didn't think they would ever move.


Thanks for the help so far,

Josh

 

[Blindowl1234]

Josh, Sounds like you got it. Like I said in my earlier posting..I think we used a 1 5/8" post on my brothers install and no problems with it. Flexes a little but no reception issues yet. The concrete in the pole is a good idea though. Wish I'd have thought of it last fall. Should make it sturdier too. Let us all know how it works out. Blind

 

[Richo]

Josh, no problems filling the pipe to the top. I filled two of mine to the top and it only served to make them sturdier. And just don't mount the dish at the top. Well good luck and keep us posted.

 

[ajvp]

I also use those pipes. (larger ones for my Primestar dishes and the smaller ones for my dishnet dishes.) I haven't filled mine and yes they do move a little if I push back and forth on it, but it pops right back. As far as rotating... I always drill a hole in the pipe about 10" from the bottom and put a 8" x 5/16" bolt with nuts thru it, b/f I concrete it. Works pretty well in my windy area.

 

[ussexplroer]

Go the dish mounted

Well I got the dish up and wire ran. I was going for higher signals but I get like 30 on rtn and the signal jumps up to 40 and all over the place. Sigh. All the settings check out. Not sure if it was the dish or something else. But it is watchable. When I get a sec I might tweak it a little more. See if I can bounce it up to a stable 40 or something. Anyway here is some pics.

 

[delta_charlie]

Well I got the dish up and wire ran. I was going for higher signals but I get like 30 on rtn and the signal jumps up to 40 and all over the place. Sigh. All the settings check out. Not sure if it was the dish or something else. But it is watchable. When I get a sec I might tweak it a little more. See if I can bounce it up to a stable 40 or something. Anyway here is some pics.

Hi ussexplroer and the group, nice and clean install! Love the thick lush northern lawn. Looks like the poll you used is at least 2 inches in diameter so I'm surprised you had any flex. Maybe the steel the post was made from was from a recycled car spring ;-)

What dish it that? Looks like winegard grey to me. 90 CM ? How does it do on other satellites? Sometimes a bouncing signal quality indicates a tree branch blocking some of the signal. How is the view under the bottom rim of the dish looking up at the LNB? Any branches?

Take care, DC

 

[ussexplroer]

I don't really know

Everything is geosatpro except the fortec mercury II receiver. It has the bullet lnbf, the gs-120 motor and the dish (believe it is 39" cannot remember). The place i ordered it from basicly gave me a good deal and it came from satellite av. If I would have known that. I would have ordered it direct. Anway shipping was great. From Satellite av to me was like 3 days fedex. This was like three years ago.

When I first put up the dish it was great. Then after a couple of wind storms or something the signal went down. I did the string test. Redid and rechecked all the settings. Checked the cables you know go straight to lnbf. No dice. So then I moved.

Now on the new setup it finds sats asap. But the signal is something else. I will try to play with it next week. Some of the transponders are at 60. Most are some place between and like rtn was 30 or slightly above. I know there is a sweat spot. But when I adjust the dish. Tigthen it down I loose it.


I used sadoun website (says powered by dish pointer) and got something interesting using the motor settings. The setting I'm using is for a stab 90. But years ago when I used the sheet that was sent to me. Those numbers worked. But when I looked it up now. It says my settings should be 42.9 for the motor and 23 for the dish (using the geosat 120). But I was closer to the stab 90 but off. Currently at 49 for the motor and 38 for the dish. Give or take you know after setting. (I also have a signal meter) Yes the pipe is level all around.

Don't know what to say. Maybe next week I'll mark what I have and redo the dish and motor to the gs120 settings. Would help if I could find my old paper work. After all of this time before I moved. I could have 100% messed it up and no relized it. (remeber put marks when you are done. Sadly I did not) So after the first coulple of windstorms.

Anyway Thanks,

Josh

 

[turbosat]

Josh, sounds like you need to obtain the exact offset amount on your dish, from satav or another member who has one working. Of course, you could maybe arrive at the figure with a little reverse math, or simply tweaking the dish's elevation on a satellite you're already able to track. The Mercury2 signal meter jumps around all over the place so it makes it hard to use that one for tweaking.