wb sat dish pole mount location question

[rockwood84]

wb says a clear veiw of southern sky but i read that the dish will be facing a more of sw direction after installed. i ordered wb and no mention of anything other than a wood sided home being a non-standard install. the pole mount will be $150.00 + and i'm trying to figure out what direction it will face after installed so i can have the pole mount ready when the installers get here.i under stand it has to be a 8' long 2 3/8" pole that is used for chainlink fence post. 3 foot in ground with concrete around it. no more than i'm guessing 50' from computer.i want to be sure it will work for the installer as i'm not paying $150.00 for a non standard install as i thought it was going to be mounted on the wall or roof from the start. thanks.

 

[grohgreg]

Correctly installed polemounts are definitely better than vertical or roof mounts. You'll appreciate this if/when it comes time to clear snow/ice from the dish. Don't use chain link fence tubing, the walls are too thin. Given the amount of sail area presented by the dish, that crap can actually fold under severe wind strain. Some folks try to save a few bucks by using that stuff, then filling the inside with cement. I wouldn't. What's recommended is 2" (ID) Schedule 40 galvanized steel pipe. It has a sturdy 2-3/8" outside diameter that should stand up to everything short of a major hurricane.

But make sure your installer knows that's what you're providing. Cuz then he has to make sure to bring a Wildblue polemount adapter. It's fastened to the top of your pole, then the reflector bracket is mounted to the adapter. And before adding the concrete to the hole, drill a pair of holes perpendicularly near the bottom of the pipe. I recommend 9/16" holes. Get at least a foot of 1/2" rebar and put it through the holes, then add cement. The rebar will keep the pole from breaking loos from the concrete, and subsequently spinning in its own hole.

There's no 50' rule I know of. Even though less cable is better, a standard install is supposed to pay for up to 100' of cable between the dish and the modem - and sufficient copper (or aluminum) wire to ground everything to code.

"Southern sky" is relative until we know where you live - and which satellite you're going to aim for. If you don't want to reveal your location, calculate your own antenna pointing angles with one of the many online antenna pointing calculators available. Hint: both satellites used by WildBlue have an orbital longitude of ~111 degrees west.

//greg//

 

[rockwood84]

the pipe your talking about is what we use for the top conduit between the meterbase and the weatherhead for an electrical hook-up.yeah that stuff is pretty stout.what i was getting at is i have some trees and due south there is a wide gap between them and where we used to have the c-ku band big dish there is a wide gap between the trees.i trying to figure out either put it to where due south has the gap or sw has the gap . i could probably put it to where both are in line with the mount but it will be close to the house and porch. thanks i'll try and find a online compass and see if i can find my location on it.

 

[HCI]

For WB its a 2" outside pole, not 2 3/8. Good luck finding one. We did WB for a while and had to special order them. If you use the 2 3/8 the tech is going to try to charge you for a adaptor which will be probably around $100.

Check this out.
Satellite Dish Ground Post Installation
" For Wildblue and DIRECTV's Slimline dish , a 2" OD - 9 gauge tubing material sold under the name GATOR POLE is available from satellite installers. GATOR poles provide maximum stability in a 2" tubing material.

Some installers use 2" muffler pipe steel. This material is not intended for direct contact with the ground and will rust. It is also made from a softer metal and is not suitable for a satellite dish installation. "

 

[grohgreg]

For WB its a 2" outside pole, not 2 3/8. Good luck finding one. We did WB for a while and had to special order them. If you use the 2 3/8 the tech is going to try to charge you for a adaptor which will be probably around $100.

Shame, especially when galvanized reducer couplings typically cost under $10. I say this, because 2" Sch40 has better torsional strength (resists twisting in the wind better) than the Gator. The Gator has 9ga walls (0.148"), making it a reasonable equivalent to 1-1/2" Sch40 (0.145"). But given the reduced sail area of the WB reflector (compared to Hughes/Starband), it's probably a fair alternative to customers who don't want to pay a ridiculous $100 for the WB adapter on the stouter 2" Sch40 (0.154" walls). Even though it won't improve torsional strength, filling the Gator with cement still increase longitudinal rigidity (help prevent bending in the wind).

I know. Here's another engineer, over-analyzing what's probably little more than an economic consideration. Can't help myself. But I am curious however, why an outfit the size of DSI sells only 10' and 11' Gators - for what's typically an 8' job.

//greg//

 

[dirkleearm]

I personally like the 10' length, which gives ~7' height, giving plenty of clearance for mowing around etc.. I use the galv pipe myself, leaving the threaded end up for future adaptation if necessary. For WB, I get the adapters from P-10 and charge $ 15.00 They (RSI) have a WB adapter that is sturdier but costs ~$30 but I have not had any problems with the cheaper ones.