Winegard 2076 + roofmount = unstable pole!

[y0da]

Hey guys!!

I have recently picked up a winegard 76cm dish and LNB along with a DG280B. Problem is the only place I can mount this beast is on my roof. I have no LOS to the arc from the ground at my place at all. I already have my subbed dish network 1000.2 on my chimney so this guy can't go there.

First, some background --

I painted some 2x4's with rustoleum hammered paint, found some roofing studs, drilled pilot holes and filled them with roof patch tar, and bolted 2 pieces of 2x4 (roughly 12 inches long) into 2 studs with 2 lagbolts. I'll refer to these as "mounting blocks" On top of these two mounts, I attached two 2x4's (18" long or so and 4" apart) with 2 lagbolts on each end to the mounting blocks.

I did this because I'm not sure if there will be dish upgrades in the future, and I'd prefer to mount to the roof ONE time, and have some easily replaceable structure for repeated mounting/removal.

Now the problem --

I had to replace the mounting pipe with a longer section to allow the dish to pivot and clear the peak of the roof section. I'm having a very difficult time getting the pole to stay perfectly vertical (wind, swaying, etc) and it's very difficult to peak when simply touching it knocks it out of vertical.

Does anyone have a recommendation on fabbing or buying pole supports for roof-mount installation? I don't have a measurement of the length of my vertical pole, but roughly how far up do the support struts need to connect to it to provide stability for a dish of this size?

What do you guys think of this: http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/S/SUPERDISH-SuperDMount-Universal-Dish-Roof.htm. The struts are sold alone for $19/set.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Y0da,

Have you thought about investigating a "Non-Penetrating-Mount"?

Do you know what this is?

Basically it is an angle-iron framework that wraps over your roof peak and you load it with concrete blocks to stabilize it. The dish mast is welded to the metal framework and it is very solid. It is an excellent option for someone who does not wish to drill holes in their roof (like a rental).

They are very sturdy and non-invasive.

Check them out (you can easily fabricate the mount yourself if you are a good welder or know someone who is).

Take a look at some of the gas stations near you. I bet most of them have something similar set up. Many may have a flat roof, but some will have a peak rook/gable style and you can see their dish for the internet (credit card scanner use) mounted in some fashion like this.

That may give you some ideas and also elliminate the holes in the roof while still making the mount very secure. You will have to haul a lot of concrete blocks up the roof, but that is no great affair.

RADAR

 

[brentb636]

Non-Penetrating Roof Mount NPR4A 8 Blocks 3' x 3'

 

[SatelliteAV]

If you are looking for a peak mount NPM check out:

http://satelliteav.com/p/shop/?ws_pid=622&ws_cat=470

Y0da,

Have you thought about investigating a "Non-Penetrating-Mount"?

Do you know what this is?

Basically it is an angle-iron framework that wraps over your roof peak and you load it with concrete blocks to stabilize it. The dish mast is welded to the metal framework and it is very solid. It is an excellent option for someone who does not wish to drill holes in their roof (like a rental).

They are very sturdy and non-invasive.

Check them out (you can easily fabricate the mount yourself if you are a good welder or know someone who is).

Take a look at some of the gas stations near you. I bet most of them have something similar set up. Many may have a flat roof, but some will have a peak rook/gable style and you can see their dish for the internet (credit card scanner use) mounted in some fashion like this.

That may give you some ideas and also elliminate the holes in the roof while still making the mount very secure. You will have to haul a lot of concrete blocks up the roof, but that is no great affair.

RADAR

 

[y0da]

Y0da,

Have you thought about investigating a "Non-Penetrating-Mount"?

Do you know what this is?

RADAR

Yes, i know what they are. My concern with an NPM was the weight. Some that I have seen "require" 8 cinderblocks. Are there concerns with roof-sagging at all? How many blocks do you guys use?

I'd still need to have a decent length of pole to get the dish to clear the peak, but certainly shorter than what i'm using now.

I can fab one out of square tubing for sure In the general consensus-- is this the best way to get stability?

Getting married Sept 19th....better get this stuff up there before, or the wife will never let me do it!

 

[Anole]

If you want to see a bunch of NPRM's on a flat roof, look up most any thread Linuxman has started.
He must be the king. Ku everywhere, and a bunch of BUDs.
EVERYthing up there is on NPRM's I believe.

This may not suit you, since it's only good for one dish, but . . .
The BUD guys sometimes run their mast up the side of the house, and attach to the eaves.
Often there are braces to the wall, part way up.
You could do the same.

edit:
oh, that reminds me... check how big a pipe the motor will mount onto.
...and use one that big. It's often larger than what your dish will fit onto.

 

[y0da]

If you are looking for a peak mount NPM check out:

Satellite AV - Free to Air Satellite Equipment Distributors - Fortec Star, GEOSATpro, Glorystar - SatelliteAV, LLC.

With this one I feel like I'd still have to anchor the vertical pipe to the backside corners to eliminate wobble.

 

[y0da]

This may not suit you, since it's only good for one dish, but . . .
The BUD guys sometimes run their mast up the side of the house, and attach to the eaves.
Often there are braces to the wall, part way up.
You could do the same.

edit:
oh, that reminds me... check how big a pipe the motor will mount onto.
...and use one that big. It's often larger than what your dish will fit onto.

I thought of doing this.... actually, i thought of one-upping it. I have a 30 feet (3 sections) of TV antenna tower. I even have a big pine tree that would block it from street-front view that is sitting at about 177 degrees west. It's the triangle-shaped tower and would be very nice. I have a couple dishes and it would give me a great platform for mounting my amateur radio equipment and scanner antennas.

2 problems:
1) Don't know how the future wife would like a 30-foot tower next to the house.
2) how on earth would I mount a motorized dish and get it aligned....with a huge ladder i guess.

 

[Anole]

1) Don't know how the future wife would like a 30-foot tower next to the house.
2) how on earth would I mount a motorized dish and get it aligned....with a huge ladder i guess.

1). discuss it with her now, and point out how much you'll save over DirecTV or DishNetwork!
2). we've had members do it. I've seen the pictures. Perhaps by standing at the edge of the roof?
3). not a fan of ladders and bucket trucks. been there, hated that.
4). actually, I'm not a big fan of towers nor telephone poles either, so . . .
5). chop down some trees affecting your LOS -

 

[AcWxRadar]

2 problems:

1) Don't know how the future wife would like a 30-foot tower next to the house.

2) how on earth would I mount a motorized dish and get it aligned....with a huge ladder i guess.

#1 You don't concern yourself with what the wife wants or does not want. You simply do it (of course I am single because of such endeavors!).

#2 Once you are on the roof and have the mount stabilized, you should not have too much trouble with setting the dish. Just have your brother or a buddy help you get the stuff up there initially. The rest is a piece of cake.

You also asked about how much weight (how many concrete blocks) you needed. That all depends upon the size of your dish, but I believe that it will be less than you imagine. Because of the fact that the support mechanism "folds" over your roof peak, it has an advantage since the structure of your roof also assists the support and the framework of the entire assembly simply locks itself in place as is, so very little weight will be required to hold it down.

This is all purely a matter of physics, geometry and gravity.

Personally, I prefer a ground mounted dish, but that is not an option for everyone. The main objective is a clear LOS (Line Of Site) and a ground mounted dish does not always allow this. A ground mounted antenna is the best as you can easily work on it, align it and maintain it. No ladders required!. It is a matter of great convenience.

Got to leave for a bit, my sister just dropped in with her pet dog "Rascal". Catch you all later


RADAR

 

[walrus1957]

You can also try this arangement. The mast holding this 76cm dish is a 38 inch long piece of one and quarter inch EMT, you can get it in lengths up to 10 feet at Menards. I used the original mounting foot that came with the dish, drilled and squared holes in the EMT the same as the original curved pipe. This is very stable and would be difficult if not almost impossible to move the top of that pole off vertical no matter how hard you pull or push on it. The two struts attached to the roof are 1/2 inch electrical conduit roughly 22 inches in length. You can make the pole as tall as you want, just make the 1/2 diameter side struts longer. The collar that attaches the electrical conduit to the pole has a set screw to lock the collar to the pole, I welded two small flanges to the collar to allow attachment of the 1/2 inch electrical conduit. I also added an additional collar for the motor bracket to rest on.

 

[y0da]

I saw your other pics from your recent thread Walrus. I think your idea is a good one, very similar to what I was thinking of doing in the first place. After hearing of your success, I'll give it a go

Is that collar an off-the-shelf piece or is it a custom engineering job ?

 

[Wescopc]

Here is another way to mount - if you have access to the attic:
SatelliteGuys Photo Gallery - 85cm Rooftop Dish - Powered by PhotoPost
I have done it with 2 inch pipe by bolting to the trusses with u-straps within the attic. The flashing is standard vent pipe flashing,
Bob

 

[phlatwound]

Here is another way to mount - if you have access to the attic:
SatelliteGuys Photo Gallery - 85cm Rooftop Dish - Powered by PhotoPost
I have done it with 2 inch pipe by bolting to the trusses with u-straps within the attic. The flashing is standard vent pipe flashing,
Bob

Very nice, mount and conduit all in one. :up

 

[cruzin]

Yes, i know what they are. My concern with an NPM was the weight. Some that I have seen "require" 8 cinderblocks. Are there concerns with roof-sagging at all? How many blocks do you guys use?

I'd still need to have a decent length of pole to get the dish to clear the peak, but certainly shorter than what i'm using now.

I can fab one out of square tubing for sure In the general consensus-- is this the best way to get stability?

Getting married Sept 19th....better get this stuff up there before, or the wife will never let me do it!

First things first if this marriage is going to last is put on the pants before you get married. Unless she is the breadwinner. Sorry for being so blunt.

 

[walrus1957]

I saw your other pics from your recent thread Walrus. I think your idea is a good one, very similar to what I was thinking of doing in the first place. After hearing of your success, I'll give it a go

Is that collar an off-the-shelf piece or is it a custom engineering job ?

I ordered the collars through Grainger or another company like that. I could not find the exact fit and the inside diameter was a few thousands of an inch to small. I chucked the collars in a latch and spend a few minutes enlarging them so that they slid nicely over the pole. I use cut pieces of angle iron for the strut to roof mounts. I first set the pole vertical and locked it down to the base place, then positioned the struts to form a 45 degree angle on the pole and secured to the roof. Lastly I slid the collar up or down on the pole until the mast was dead on bubble then tightened the set screw on the collar to secure it to the pole. I took my time initially attaching the struts to the roof so that it would not pull it off level side to side. Moving the collar positioning allows you to set the pole tilt forwards and back.

Once everything was tightened down I was surprized at how rigid this setup was, I placed a magnetic level near the top of the pole and tried to move it but couldn't. I wanted the bottom of the dish pan to have a lot of clearance from the roof to acomadate for snow drifting, that is why I went with the straight pole insted of the curved pipe.

 

[y0da]

Surely you weren't lucky enough to have studs at all of your mount points -- did you reinforce with material from the bottom side for your lags to screw into?

Update:

A bit of searching on ebay turned up just what I needed. $10 including shipping got me this: