Ground Mounting Ideas Needed for 39 Inch Fortec Star Dish with Stab Motor

[jsattv]

Well when the Roofers came last week to reshingle my roof they were good enough to take down down the entire 100cm (39 Inch) Fortec Star solid dish without even dismantling it. They just unscrewed it's 4 legs from my cedar post supports on the Roof and passed the entire Dish Down, - great guys!! This Fortec Star Dish is now on the ground complete with it's 4 legs and its pole up to the Dish about is 3.5 feet tall. (I can include pictures if required). I also have a new unused Stab HH - 120 Motor that was replaced under warrenty when a major windstorm knocked the 39 inch dish & motor out of comission.

My question is, I would like to ground mount this 39 inch Fortec Star Dish in my back yard mainly for KU Band PBS, is there a suggested Pole Size I can mount in the Ground probably in a hole filled with readycrete to use for this Dish? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

 

[primestar31]

2-3/8" minimum would be a safe and strong pole, up to around 4-5 feet tall. This is the same size the old Primestar dishes used. Anything above 5 feet, should have a 3" pole minimum. The DisEqc motors will clamp onto a pole slightly larger than 3" maximum with no special mods.

 

[KE4EST]

I agree with primestar31. If you use too small of a diameter pole, especially if you go above a few feet, the pole will lean a bit as you get from true south. This will throw the dish off on the ends of the ARC, plus drive you crazy if you don't know what it going on. and it don't take much.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Be sure to set the post in concrete with at least 20% of the length under ground and below the frost line. Slope the cement away from the pole to keep water from pooling around the post and rusting through. Put bolts through the pole, use a exhaust clamp or crush a section of the pipe out of round within the cement to keep the round pole from rotating.

 

[jsattv]

Thanks for the comments Guys. I'm not sure what an Exhaust Clamp is but I'll try to find out. Too hot these days to dig a hole with my hand Auger - but I'll try to locate a 6 Ft or more 3 Inch Diameter Steel Pipe possibly at Home Depot or a scrap Dealer.

 

[SatelliteAV]

A 8 foot tall 2 3/8" galvanized fence post from Home Depot should work well. Put about 2 1/2 feet below ground. A 5 foot post places the dish very low and maybe in harms way.


The exhaust pipe clamp is sold at most automotive stores and buy in the diameter of the post. You could also drill a hole and place a bolt through near the base. A few swings of a sledge hammer will dent the post. This is only to keep the post from rotating, so really don't need anything fancy.

 

[primestar31]

In case you are not sure, the clamp is tightened on the post and EMBEDDED in the cement! That's because as cement dries, it pulls away from the pipe a bit. That could allow the pipe to spin when a wind load is placed on the dish. Personally, I drill a hole through both sides, and either use a length of "All-Thread", or drive a heavy "screw-spike" nail (normally used for spiking together landscape timbers) through the pipe, and let it stick out of both sides.

Make sure the post is leveled all the way around at the TOP. You can buy a "Post Level" pretty cheap: Shop Swanson Tool Company Post Level at Lowes.com

Let the cement dry for a few days minimum. It shouldn't need much more than that for a smaller KU dish.

 

[jsattv]

Thanks Primestar31 and SatAV for the great Info & Tips. I'll look for a 8 ft 2 3/8 Inch Galvanized Fence Post. I'll likely use one of those concrete forms & I have a Sears Digital Level for plumb checks.

 

[trinidex]

The info in this thread was really useful, I've installed a lot of dishes and have never thought about the installing a thread, exhaust clamp, etc. for ground mounting.

Thanks!

 

[updatelee]

If your looking for something a little less permanent Ive switched my dish's over to non penetrating roof mounts, I just place them on the ground. I use the wineguard ones. They are designed to hold 6 cinder blocks but an additional 2 can be placed ontop without interfering with motor arc.

I can move the dish to a new location in the yard with very little effort and they hold their position over time. Must be all the sand here but I put a 8ft pole 4ft in the ground and 4ft out and concreted it in and over the course of 1 year it sagged and ended up having to brace it with cables, effectively taking up more room then the npr-mount and not as portable.

Ive got my 6ft cband dish on the npr-mount right now and its held up fine over the last year. Its very stable and im not locked into the location. Plus if I ever move (im in the military so it happens) I can easily take it with me and set up in a new location.

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