need help with setup

[spacebug42]

Hi guys! I am kind of stuck right now on my FTA 1.8m C/Ku dish upgrade project (weather is part of the reason). Here is what I got done so far. I have installed a 14 foot pole (2 1/2 inch inside diameter) with 4 1/2 feet buried in concrete. The inside of the pole has been filled with concrete to add stability. The pole is perfectly plumb. I have a 3/4 inch PVC conduit going under the house. I have two issues that I need to resolve before I can assemble and install the BUD on the pole. The first one is the one I'm most concerned about. The concrete has been set, but when I put my hand on the pole and try to shake it, the top of the pole moves. This is not good - especially when I'm visualizing the BUD mounted on it. What can I do to stabilize the pole so it won't shake? I thought of two possible fixes. The first is to attach a guy wire cable (about 1/2 inch thick) to the pole and anchor it to an anchor embedded in a concrete block five or six feet away from the pole. The other possibility is to drill one or two 1-1 1/2 inch holes next to the pole about two feet deep and put in one or two 1- 1/2 inch poles, fill it with concrete, and use pipe clamps to secure it together. The last thing I need to do is to break up the concrete and re-mount the pole next to the house. The pole has been installed about 10 feet away from the house.

The second issue is minor compared to the first. My C/Ku Band LNBF has two outputs - one for C-band and one for Ku-band. How can I multiply the output of each band to connect it to a 5 x 8 switch to get both horizontal and vertical polarities and distribute the signals to different parts of the house? I presume it would not be advisable to connect to a splitter rated for satellite use to each output. Can I use an in-line amplifier to compensate for the signal loss if I use a pair of splitters? One other thing that I'm curious about is the Loop-IF output on my FTA receiver. If I had that output routed to another room, can a different receiver operate independently of the first receiver? The last thing I would want to do is to use a series of manual switches to route the output from a 2 x 1 switch to another room - one room will get FTA satellite reception while all the other rooms will not get any reception. What is the best way for me to get both horizontal and vertical polarities of both bands to provide independent reception for all the receivers in the house?

 

[Lak7]

To reinforce the post, you could get a SonoTube to go over / around the post, and fill that with concrete.

How can I multiply the output of each band to connect it to a 5 x 8 switch to get both horizontal and vertical polarities and distribute the signals to different parts of the house?

I don't think you can.

 

[classicsat]

The second issue is minor compared to the first. My C/Ku Band LNBF has two outputs - one for C-band and one for Ku-band. How can I multiply the output of each band to connect it to a 5 x 8 switch to get both horizontal and vertical polarities and distribute the signals to different parts of the house?

You need a dual ortho feed that has two C and two Ku LNBs.

 

[Tron]

You could use a bandstacked LNBF such as the Eagle Aspen B1SAT, but it is C-Band only. That is what I'm using on my Sadoun SD180G, and it works very well. Since both polarities are on the same cable at the same time, only one cable is required from the dish back to my shed roof where the main dish farm is located.

 

[spacebug42]

a great idea

To reinforce the post, you could get a SonoTube to go over / around the post, and fill that with concrete.

Lak7, you just gave me a great idea! It had never occured to me to use a SonoTube to put around the post and fill it with concrete. I will have to put the braces back on the post while the concrete sets, but it sounds like this could solve my post shaking problem. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Hi guys! I am kind of stuck right now on my FTA 1.8m C/Ku dish upgrade project (weather is part of the reason). Here is what I got done so far. I have installed a 14 foot pole (2 1/2 inch inside diameter) with 4 1/2 feet buried in concrete. The inside of the pole has been filled with concrete to add stability. The pole is perfectly plumb.

I have two issues that I need to resolve before I can assemble and install the BUD on the pole. The first one is the one I'm most concerned about. The concrete has been set, but when I put my hand on the pole and try to shake it, the top of the pole moves. This is not good - especially when I'm visualizing the BUD mounted on it. What can I do to stabilize the pole so it won't shake? I thought of two possible fixes.

Spacebug,

There is another possible "FIX". First of all, I would have to ask you "Why such a tall mast for only a 1.8 M dish?" Is there a reason that you must install the dish assembly so high?

You have 9 1/2 feet of your mast exposed above ground. I think that five or six feet would have been enough. Four feet would have been OK if you don't get too much snow. The shorter pole would make it more stable. Could you now cut the mast off shorter?

Also, how much of a base (diameter) of concrete is holding this mast in place as its anchor. I cannot envision a 2 1/2 ID pole filled with concrete moving a whole lot unless it was loose in the ground (the anchor was moving, too). I would have suggested about 3-4 foot diameter "dead-man" anchors at or near the bottom of the excavation of the hole for the concrete anchoring in a sort of triangular base.

Next, how much "wobble" do you detect? Maybe it isn't quite as bad as you think.

Lak's idea about increasing the diameter of the base of the existing mast is probably the best solution if you have to maintain your height. Guy wires or cables or struts will simply get in your way in the future and I gaurantee you won't appreciate it in the long run.

A small "I-Beam" set vertically with the mast and anchored in concrete at the base, and in several points upwards along the mast might be a possibility, too.

RADAR