Help - Cant find 3.5" OD Pole for C Band Dish

[Scott Greczkowski]

Ok all my satellite stuff has arrived. I have everything I need except for the pole to put in in the ground.

I figure I need a 12 foot long 3.5 inch outter diamater pipe.

My father went to and called every plumbing place around and only one has the pipe but only in a 20 foot length for $229 for it.

What can I do? He's suggesting a PVC pip and filling it with cement.

Any ideas?

 

[caddata]

You're looking for 3" schedule 40 black pipe (Galvanized may be available but costs more) or 3.5" O.D. tubing with a minimum .125" wall thickness (usually more expensive because it's used for driveshafts).

Welding shops, machine shops, some hardware stores that cut and thread pipe, and scrap yards are good places to look. DO NOT use pvc pipe filled with concrete.

Whenever you find your pipe or tubing, sink it about 36" in a hole big enough for about two 90 pound sacks of do-it-yourself concrete. Make sure it's plumb and has a bolt or a piece of rebar thru a drilled hole near the bottom. Bolt or rebar keeps it from turning.

Harold

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Will a 3 inch pole be ok with my Dish?

http://www.dvbhardware.com/popup_image.php?pID=84&pic=1&type=jpg

That is a picture of the diagram for the Dish.

Maybe 3 inch pipe will be much easier to find.

 

[Swamp_Rat]

Scott,

That price is about right, most likely you will get stuck buying a 21' stick unless you can find it in a scrap yard. Look under metal recycling in the phone book. Schedule 40 is the mininum and 80 is better. As I am near the ocean I went with galvanized.
3" (measurements are normally taken on the inside) is roughly 3" outside diameter.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Dang...

Origionally I thought I could pop the old 1.2 meter dish off the pole and put this one on it. But that pole is only 2.5 inches OD.

Now trying to find a 3 inch one.

The place that will sell me the 21 foot one will only sell it to me if I sign up for a commercial account. (Which I can do.. but hopefully I can find it somewhere else for cheaper)

 

[Swamp_Rat]

If you buy 2.5" ID you should wind up at close to 2 7/8" OD. Like I said the 3" schedule 40 is 1/4" wall bring it to 3.5 ID. I'm sure you know but pipe side is always ID.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

We were able to find 3" OD schedule 4 pipe. Had to buy a 21 foot section, but the guy cut it for us.

Guess I will be digging a hole tonight.

 

[Swamp_Rat]

I can think of worse things to be doing but at least it cooler there than it is here.

 

[granadaguy]

3" schedule 40 pipe- or 3 1/2" O. D. round tubing.

Too bad you don't live close by me or I would hook you up ( I have all sorts of steel tubing in my shop ).
If it's easier for you to get square tubing do so, ( it's cheaper too ), get whatever lenght you need then weld one pc. about 2 ft. long of the round pipe or tubing to it for the mount, 3" square tubing 1/4" wall will work just fine for the pole.
Good luck.

 

[turbosat]

No junkyards/scrapyards around there Scott?, that's a rip having to buy a whole joint of pipe.
But, you can always put up more dishes!! Good luck with the install.

 

[caddata]

......3" (measurements are normally taken on the inside) is roughly 3" outside diameter.

Pipe sizes are nominal inside diameters up thru 12" pipe (12.75" outside diameter), after that the size is the outside diameter.

3" pipe, no matter if it's schedule 10, 20, 40 or 80 is 3.5" outside diameter. Inside diameters vary depending on wall thickness (schedule).

Harold

 

[rjruby]

No junkyards/scrapyards around there Scott?, that's a rip having to buy a whole joint of pipe.
But, you can always put up more dishes!! Good luck with the install.

I believe Connecticut sends their garbage and scrap to New Jersey

 

[zaxxon]

Try a commercial fence installer, they have pipes of all sizes and may have a scrap piece that fits your needs. Don't go to a home improvement store there pipes are a different gage.

Commercial fence company's install three hundred pound gates with there pipe.