Preparing Your Dish Setup For Stormy Conditions

Riverblue

Riverblue

Regular Member
My Satellite Setup
See Signature
My Location
Near Brighton
With the onset of winter and the weather it brings, particularly the "worst storm of the century, so far" predicted this coming week, I was wondering how or even if people take any precautions with their dish setups. For instance if you knew that there were winds coming from the southwest (45〫west) would you point your motorised dish to the southeast (45〫east) to offer the least resistance to the oncoming wind or position your dish to face it head on? Does anyone add temporary bracing or even remove their dish if mounted in very exposed positions? Just wondering what extremes people are prepared to go to to protect their setups and what horrors have happened to them :)
 
Past experience suggest it's not easy to correctly figure out in advance a specific dish position that might negate the worst effects.

So, for wall and roof mounted dishes, check all clamps are tight and for patio mounted ones ensure that the base is adequately ballasted with at least 50kg of sand (ie Two bags or more): My failure to do just that led to my TD110 and mount falling forwards such that the LNB Arm distorted badly and required replacement (But at least the LNB arm stopped the dish face hitting the ground).

A dish that is displaced in storms is most likely to have slipped around its mount and perhaps it's best to ride it out then pop out and re-align it.
 
I've known some to take the dish down in preparation for an oncoming storm.
 
Of course the greatest area for concern will be for people with "professionally installed" dishes secured inadequately by only three bolts and/or anchored in mortar courses.

Expect lots of howls of protests from that particular quarter.

For us hobbyists, many of us do our own installation and can probably easily rectify any collateral effects from storms.
 
Tivù said:
Of course the greatest area for concern will be for people with "professionally installed" dishes secured inadequately by only three bolts and/or anchored in mortar courses.

Expect lots of howls of protests from that particular quarter.

For us hobbyists, many of us do our own installation and can probably easily rectify any collateral effects from storms.
Click to expand...
I've noticed some of those "professionally" installed setups on my journeys, there are a few round my way that wouldn't take much of a battering.:eek:
 
My 13E dish occasionally slips round its pole in a vertical direction in storms (its an old 80cm ex analogue dish on an antiquated inverted L pole)

I just put my raincoat on & and give it a good pull on the lnb arm until the picture reappears :D
 
I've left my motorised dish on 5W, as they expect the winds to shift from SW to W, which will leave the dish face edge on. I have thought about reinforcing the dish with rubber bungee cords but it's far easier to pop out and re align if it moves. Nothing would get me out in a storm, wearing an old raincoat, just give my LNB arm a pull BTW...
 
Riverblue said:
With the onset of winter and the weather it brings, particularly the "worst storm of the century, so far" predicted this coming week
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:

It won't be anything like as strong as Hurricane Bawbag.


The southern softies will think it is the end of the world though.

:-lol


I leave my dishes as they are. When checking over summer one had a loose bolt in the K bracket but that is partly down to the render making it hard to torque it up properly. I should chip away the render but I could not be bothered.
 
I just leave the dish parked on 1west or whichever is nearest to edge the dish side on to the wind.

The 1224 motor is heavy duty but has on occasion moved slightly even on a 3 inch pole.

It's due for a re alignment soon once I get some/ borrow a ladder anyway.
 
There is one advantage to having a dish on a balcony - I can close off the balcony with sliding glass panels and can sleep easily on a stormy night knowing the dishes are safe and dry. The downside is I can't get a very big dish to fit in the first place and have a somewhat limited view of the whole arc...
 
ive said this before.. (if you have the gear available and are confident) stick a bolt through the pole and bracket and your dish wont move around the pole. of course mother nature will rip the entire thing out of the wall if she wants to but its a 99.9% chance it will be there until it needs replacing due to fault/upgrade ect
 
Personally i'll be leaving mine on 1W tonight, as its roughly a Westerly wind and my house shelters the dish somewhat from that direction. In the past i have faced it direct against the wind as i dont see my scaffold pole bending just yet.
 
skyuser.co.uk/forum/sky-hd-supertelly/51860-sky-dish-has-blown-away.html
 
Not worried about the ground mounted Channel Master as it's in a sheltered location but the Fibo is sat on the outhouse rather naked. Though it is sheltered from the west by a house. Not sure if I would point it towards 37.5W towards the house or 1W...
 
I'm slightly concerned about my setup as it's above the gutter.

it's survived strong winds before and is solid I made sure of it with the fixings but I do wonder if to take the dish face off or not.

The trees around here I would be more worried over, there's a very tall conifer tree that should have had some of it cut off but hasn't.
 
First power outages down in Berkshire - trees down across the lines around Pangbourne...

FWIW its completely still here!
 
No real wind here and Pangbourne is only 2 miles away, there were a few gusts earlier, but pretty still at the moment and we're on a hill.
 
Tivù said:
.................. and for patio mounted ones ensure that the base is adequately ballasted with at least 50kg of sand (ie Two bags or more):
Click to expand...

Now at four bags!

100kg ought to be enough
 
Back
Top