My new pole install with pics

[Jimbo]

Thanks for the tip Jimbo. Any idea's

Personally, I use a piece of stuff I use at work, it's hard to explain, it comes in strips about 3" wide and a foot long in length and it's like a rubber type substance.
I take and roll the stuff up to the size of the pole and stuff it in it ...
Keep in mind, you want something that is weather resistant.

Jimbo

 

[charper1]

Neoprene ?

 

[charper1]

You could PUT A CORK IN IT!


LOL, just kidding.

 

[Bogy]

The last time I had DirecTV the dish was mounted on a pole. We started out with a Primestar dish, which was about twice as big as the cute little dishes now. My wife will only go back to satellite if I promise it won't be mounted on a pole out in the middle of the yard. But that is a very nice looking installation.

 

[cparker]

For the top of the pole, look at a cap from a can of spray paint. I haven't measured, but I have used various size caps like that on other poles outside. Find one with a nice fit, put a bead of silicone around the top of the pipe edge and push the cap on. They stay. They aren't ugly, and they last for years and years.

 

[erict]

Does anybody have a picture of what the mount looks like installed on the pole? Maybe a closeup?

 

[TheForce]

Since you love concrete, why not fill the pole with concrete and cap it with roof tar?

Hey, I didn't see your 10' ground rod anywhere. Better check your local codes on grounding. If you don't have a local code, follow the NEC. You should have a 10 ft ground rod at that nice box where the coax enters the house. Bond the green wire there. Then at the pole with the concrete base, a second ground rod with the base of the pole bonded to that rod. Considering the trees and flat terrain I saw in the pictures, the pole ground rod is critical. The rod at the point of house entry is also required as code but in my opinion, secondary to the one at the pole. What I would do if I had your setup is to drill a 5/8" hole through the concrete base with an extension masonry bit and drive the ground rod inside the base. Then attach a solid aluminum wire from the base of the pole with a clamp to that rod. With a good ground at that pole, you may never see a silent hit to your electronics inside the house even if the trees next to the pole take a direct hit which is likely. The second rod at the house point of entry is a secondary drain point. The wire bonding the box at the house to the pole through the conduit is essentially useless from a static discharge point of view. I don't think it serves any other purpose either from an RF standpoint.

Also, I see you used stranded copper for the ground. This will work fine when new but not as good as a solid copper or solid aluminum wire for static electricity ground. The wire you used is meant for electrical house wiring grounding, not static ground.

In a priority of efficacy the two rods are most important to prevent silent static lightning damage to your electronics in the house. The wire design has more to do with reduction of corona point static buildup over time but considering it's proximity to ground level and inside a box the odds of trouble are very much reduced. I have used krylon clear spray over the grounding blocks to keep the wire and block nice and shiny clean over years. Do that after you determine everything is done and not to be touched for a long time.

 

[erict]

Since you love concrete, why not fill the pole with concrete and cap it with roof tar?

Hey, I didn't see your 10' ground rod anywhere. Better check your local codes on grounding. If you don't have a local code, follow the NEC. You should have a 10 ft ground rod at that nice box where the coax enters the house. Bond the green wire there. Then at the pole with the concrete base, a second ground rod with the base of the pole bonded to that rod. Considering the trees and flat terrain I saw in the pictures, the pole ground rod is critical. The rod at the point of house entry is also required as code but in my opinion, secondary to the one at the pole. What I would do if I had your setup is to drill a 5/8" hole through the concrete base with an extension masonry bit and drive the ground rod inside the base. Then attach a solid aluminum wire from the base of the pole with a clamp to that rod. With a good ground at that pole, you may never see a silent hit to your electronics inside the house even if the trees next to the pole take a direct hit which is likely. The second rod at the house point of entry is a secondary drain point. The wire bonding the box at the house to the pole through the conduit is essentially useless from a static discharge point of view. I don't think it serves any other purpose either from an RF standpoint.

Also, I see you used stranded copper for the ground. This will work fine when new but not as good as a solid copper or solid aluminum wire for static electricity ground. The wire you used is meant for electrical house wiring grounding, not static ground.

In a priority of efficacy the two rods are most important to prevent silent static lightning damage to your electronics in the house. The wire design has more to do with reduction of corona point static buildup over time but considering it's proximity to ground level and inside a box the odds of trouble are very much reduced. I have used krylon clear spray over the grounding blocks to keep the wire and block nice and shiny clean over years. Do that after you determine everything is done and not to be touched for a long time.

First off I value your comment.

Actually stranded wire is preferred over solid as it has a greater surface area over solid of the same size. Remember current travels on the surface of the wire not threw it. It’s hard to see in the dirt but there is a ground rod at the box, which is bonded to my service ground. In the second pic you can see the green wire coming down from the siding to the ground rod. I have to differ on your point of view concerning the ground wire I have attached to the pole and dish for static discharge. I feel this serves the same purpose as if I used rg6 with a messenger for static discharge.
Only thing I hope is it never takes a lightning hit because no matter what I have it won’t save me.

 

[TheForce]

erict-

You are confusing RF ground conductance with static grounds. They work exact opposite. Large surface area tends to slow the static discharge to earth ground. With RF, you are correct but the ground I am talking about is static electricity, not RF. With RF the larger the surface area the least amount of radiation which is what we attempt to achieve with RF ground. The RF radiator conductor (antenna part) is more like a static electricity ground in shape and geometry, it should be with the least surface area to enhance RF radiation. This simple concept in the various types of grounds is little understood and many who have a brief understanding of the physics involved recognize the difference. If what you believe were true, you would not see solid wire being sold for earth ground conductor. Anyway it is 99% important to have the ground than none at all as some really ignorant installers falsely believe. You have done that at the house. But to meet code, you should have used solid conductor wire.
As for the pole, I have to urge you to reconsider a better ground as that is really the most important location for a good ground, especially since it is so close to the trees and greater than 10 ft from the other ground rod at the house. Messenger wire over that distance is not code and not adequate protection for static grounding even using your house wire through the plastic conduit. It is such a shame that you did such a nice job and for some reason refuse to do what is considered a simple requirement in all antenna installations.
As I suggested earlier, check your building codes and NEC. Then an additional suggestion, check your home owners insurance policy to see if you are covered in the event you have a fire and it is found you added something in violation of the code. Grounding that mast properly is cheap, simple, and very effective if done right. It is never guaranteed to prevent a direct strike but greatly stacks the odds in your favor to prevent catastrophic damage should one of those trees get hit. I speak from both experience and education.

 

[erict]

Drilling threw the concrete is not an option for me. How about installing another ground rod six inches from the dish and running a solid #8 wire to the pole? If I do this can I still leave my other ground wire connected to the pole and dish? Also my ground rod next to my box is bonded to my service ground. Would I have to bond the ground rod next to my pole to my service ground also? Also does the wire have to be insulated solid or bare solid? Not that I am saying your wrong, but grounding subjects always seem to bring on a major debate.

I never said I refuse to do it. I just question it.