Where can I find a pole to mount the newer HD dish on?

[chibul]

My dad has purchased parts and is doing a self-install, but the local Lowes/Menards do not have a pole that the dish can mount to. Where does he need to go to get one?

 

[charper1]

plumbing or irrigation supply. online at Skvision

 

[Mike500]

You will not find a two inch actual diameter pole at Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, or any plumbing or irrigation supplier. A so called two inch pole is actually 2-3/8 inches.

We use a standard 1-5/8" or 1-1/4 inch nominal pipe with an adapter that a fellow installing contractor of mine developed. If you are using thin wall tubing like a chain link fence line post, it will fit inside of a green farmer's "Tee" post. Either bolt or cement grout the unit together.

My colleague sells the adapter on eBay for a nominal price;

DirecTV AT9/AU9 KA/KU Adapter for old 1-5/8" pole - eBay (item 150277109969 end time Aug-05-08 21:23:38 PDT)

 

[charper1]

Once again; you CAN find the proper mast at the places above I mention; IF they have them in stock; I have done so NUMEROUS times. If they don't you can order them. I know you really want to push your adapter for sales reasons which is perfectly OK, but telling people that they can't get what they need elsewhere is plain wrong. Pipes have OD and ID and as long as you ask for the CORRECT OD spec and in sch40 galv; you will be fine. In fact here a few links to SHOW that you can get them online if you can't get it fast enough locally. But they CAN BE found locally if you know what you are asking for and who you are asking. You sure don't go in without the proper specs or asking for a satellite post. If they couldn't be found anywhere to buy; none of us end users would have them would we? I wonder where mine came from?

Ground Pole 2 3/8 inch by 6 feet


Here is another online source: http://www.altfabrication.com/products/guide.aspx?productgroup=TC-MPA-03


And another: http://www.phoenixfence.ab.ca/tubing-piping/piping.aspx


2 3/8" O.D. Sch. 40 Galvanized Pipe is SO simple to get!

 

[Mike500]

We've installed over 500 AU9's.

The 2-3/8 inch actual pipe or conduit, called 2 inch nominal is too large. It splays the clamp out, and make the bolts difficult to clamp on the pole.

Get anything than is 2 inch actual, and do it correctly.

 

[gadgtfreek]

I agree, if you can find the right pipe, use it.

Im too lazy, so I use the 1.8" OD pole that was used for my 1000.2, and then slid a 2" OD 24"L pc of exhaust from the auto parts store over it. Bolted in place, it does just fine and the slimline will tighten right up. Cost about $7, have used it twice and has worked very well.

 

[Mike500]

I agree, if you can find the right pipe, use it.

Im too lazy, so I use the 1.8" OD pole that was used for my 1000.2, and then slid a 2" OD 24"L pc of exhaust from the auto parts store over it. Bolted in place, it does just fine and the slimline will tighten right up. Cost about $7, have used it twice and has worked very well.

I've been using structual steel tubing for over 30 years, now. I've NEVER seen 1.8 inch actual diameter pipe or conduit in any supplier's inventory. That's NOT even a foreign metric size, since it works out to be 45.8 centimeters.

1-1/4 nominal pipe or conduit is 1.65 actual inches in diameter. That's the size used for the original Dish Network Dish 300/500/1000/1000.2 dishes. It is also the standard size for DirecTV Phase I, II and III dishes.

Schedule 40 is a good option, but it is $40 plus for a 10 foot length at Lowes or Home Depot.

My favorite, however is 1-1/4 nominal IMC made by Allied Tube, which meets rigid conduit specifications.

Intermediate Metal Conduit, IMC - Allied Tube and Conduit - Tyco Electrical and Metal Products

It is as strong as and as deflection resistant as rigid schedule 40, at ablut half the weight. It is made of a specially formed heat treated steel. It has both a special galvanized coating and an organic clear coat. The NEC, IEC and UL are very strict on corrosion resistance, which is less so in ASTM specs for pipe used in plumbing.

I can get a 10 foot section at my local Ace Hardware Store for $20.

Along with my colleague's adapter that he sells on eBay;

DirecTV AT9/AU9 KA/KU Adapter for old 1-5/8" pole - eBay (item 150277109969 end time Aug-05-08 21:23:38 PDT)

With the adapter, the IMC conduit and a clear line of sight to the satellites, you are covered for almost any future satellite need. If you switch to Dish, you're covered by just removing the adapter with the AU9 slimline dish.

My dealers and independent installers really like this setup, because we need to carry only one type of pole for both DirecTV and Dish.h

 

[birddog]

You can definitely find exact 2" OD pipe. I'm a professional installer and my product distributor (Perfect-10) carries it in stock, but it's heavy and therefore very expensive to ship so I pick it up from my local warehouse. Why mess with adapters and all the other nonsense when you can just use the correct pipe and call it done?

 

[Jimbo]

You will not find a two inch actual diameter pole at Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, or any plumbing or irrigation supplier. A so called two inch pole is actually 2-3/8 inches.

We use a standard 1-5/8" or 1-1/4 inch nominal pipe with an adapter that a fellow installing contractor of mine developed. If you are using thin wall tubing like a chain link fence line post, it will fit inside of a green farmer's "Tee" post. Either bolt or cement grout the unit together.

My colleague sells the adapter on eBay for a nominal price;

DirecTV AT9/AU9 KA/KU Adapter for old 1-5/8" pole - eBay (item 150277109969 end time Aug-05-08 21:23:38 PDT)

Actually a 2" pole is 1 7/8th
And you CAN get by with it, D* installers do it regularly ...

If you want to use your old mast, the product Mike is talking about works well.
The local fence company will have what your looking for.

Jimbo

 

[Jimbo]

You can definitely find exact 2" OD pipe. I'm a professional installer and my product distributor (Perfect-10) carries it in stock, but it's heavy and therefore very expensive to ship so I pick it up from my local warehouse. Why mess with adapters and all the other nonsense when you can just use the correct pipe and call it done?

This is fine, when YOU have access to them, seeing you have a supplier, everyone else does not.

Why would I order that pipe that would have cost me about $ 170 when I can accomplish the same thing for about 30.

 

[Mike500]

Actually a 2" pole is 1 7/8th
And you CAN get by with it, D* installers do it regularly ...

If you want to use your old mast, the product Mike is talking about works well.
The local fence company will have what your looking for.

Jimbo

Not exactly....

Actual 2 inch tubing is two inches. Just use a caliper and measure the AU9 supplied pole. They are manufactures overseas. It's standard 50 mm tubing, actually 1.97 inches. Powder coating makes it about 2 inches actual.

US tubing sizes are based on US Nominal Pipe Sizes specified by ASTM.

Standard 1-1/2 pipe is 1.91 inches actual. Standard 2 inch nominal pipe is 2.37 inches.

Pipe Sizes and Dimensions

When the original DBS dishes were manulactured in USA, 1-5/8 or 1.66 tubing (1-1/4 nominal pipe size was cheaper than 2 inch. Now that DirecTV dishes are manufactured overseas in Asia, 50mm or 2 inch actual is cheaper.

Two inch actual is special order from tubing mills in the US. That's why it's hard to get and costs more.

DirecTV went to 50mm/2 inch actual basically because it costs less overseas.

 

[birddog]

Jimbo - with all due respect - who's talking to you? My comment was directed to Mike500. You can spend $170 or $1.70 on a pipe. Whatever. My point is that two inches is two inches ACTUAL OD, and my supplier is not the only source for this product. Next time I'll quote/reply to be crystal clear.

 

[johnm356]

My dad has purchased parts and is doing a self-install, but the local Lowes/Menards do not have a pole that the dish can mount to. Where does he need to go to get one?

I found a local fencing contractor, and he sold me a 10' length of (exactly) 2" OD HW galvanized pipe for about $20... forget the thinwall stuff.
I made a mast from it off the side of my deck, I dug a hole about 4.5' deep and filled it with concrete - just make sure and either flatten the end of the pipe or drill through it near the bottom and insert a bolt or a rebar so it won't turn once the concrete sets. I even filled the interior with hydraulic cement once it was set. It's been perfect for a year now.

 

[Mike500]

Jimbo - with all due respect - who's talking to you? My comment was directed to Mike500. You can spend $170 or $1.70 on a pipe. Whatever. My point is that two inches is two inches ACTUAL OD, and my supplier is not the only source for this product. Next time I'll quote/reply to be crystal clear.

Ever been to a rolling mill, where they make pipe and tubing? The rolling fixture, dies and welding fixture setups cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take a couple on months to set up just when changing runs of one pipe or tubing size.

 

[Jimbo]

Jimbo - with all due respect - who's talking to you? My comment was directed to Mike500. You can spend $170 or $1.70 on a pipe. Whatever. My point is that two inches is two inches ACTUAL OD, and my supplier is not the only source for this product. Next time I'll quote/reply to be crystal clear.

Gee MR BIRDOG .....
I thought that MAYBE the OP might want some information from people that do thios kind of work, instead of you guys complaining about where you have to go and what you CANNOT use.

Afterall the guy that started this thread asking for help is NOT the person your trying to deal with.

 

[Jimbo]

I found a local fencing contractor, and he sold me a 10' length of (exactly) 2" OD HW galvanized pipe for about $20... forget the thinwall stuff.
I made a mast from it off the side of my deck, I dug a hole about 4.5' deep and filled it with concrete - just make sure and either flatten the end of the pipe or drill through it near the bottom and insert a bolt or a rebar so it won't turn once the concrete sets. I even filled the interior with hydraulic cement once it was set. It's been perfect for a year now.

Thank you John,
I'm glad someone sees that there is more than one way to set a pole and different people you can get them from.

I did the same thing, went down to the local Fence supplier and did exactly what you did 16' worth and everything has worked fine since I did this 2-3 years ago.