Useful kit for installation

Analoguesat

Analoguesat

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My Satellite Setup
TM 5402HD
Sky+ UK.
My Location
Scottish Borders
For years Ive been using adjustable spanners, socket sets, mole grips & anything else Ive had lying around in my tool box to do up the many nuts on my assorted dishes. Ive just bought a set of rachet spanners for 30 quid from Amazon - what a difference. So far no more skinned knuckles when the spanner slips!

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Recommended for your satellite installation toolbox! It seems to be reasonable quality stuff too. You probably wouldnt want to try to shift nuts that are rusted solid with the rachets but for day to day work they are great.
 
Very useful for sat mounting bolts, and the cars too - most of mine came from Halfords as their's are very good (with a life-time guarantee if not used "professionally")

You can also get those where the ratchet end is on a swivel joint - quite useful, but sometimes the swivel is actually a problem when it swivels when you don't want it to!
 
I first used ratchet spanners some 40 odd years ago when I was spannering on cars for a living. Horses for courses and all that but they are very useful in a lot of cases.

I still have most of my tools from that time but the one I use when I'm messing with satellite dishes is a cheapo one from, I think, Aldi. It's double sized at 10mm and 13mm and has cranked ends. The other very useful thing it does is being able to reverse direction by flipping a little lever. It's really only for new or very easy spinning nuts as it's not hugely strong but that's not usually a problem as I can use stronger ordinary spanners to lean on.
 
@Paul
Had a few of those (available from many sources) but never trusted them much as they get "sloppy" and then just break - OK for very "light" tasks, but not for much more than that. A classic case of "buy cheap but often".
 
I already have the 13 mm & 11 mm that covers the dish bolts & Lnb F connectors procured from Wilkco :)
 
jeallen01 said:
Had a few of those ... but never trusted them much as they get "sloppy" and then just break - OK for very "light" tasks, but not for much more than that.
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Agreed, hence my comment about only using them on new or free spinning nuts.
 
Yep, tools of the trade. Nice buy.
 
Talking of F-connectors - has anyone tried any of the tools that showed up when I typed "F-connector spanner" into ebay.co.uk - as herehttps://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=f-connectorspanner&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1311.R1.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xf-connector+spanner.TRS0&_nkw=f+connector+spanner&_sacat=0

PS: there are also some Axing 11mm spanners there with the sides of the open-ended part that are "narrowed off" at "inflated prices". You can do the same to a standard £2 11mm o/e spanner in 10mins with an angle grinder, and it does make them a lot more useful, as it would to do the same thing to an 11mm combination spanner, and then cut a slot in the ring-end to allow it to fit over the cable (not tried the latter yet, but I will) .
 
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The missus gave me a Halfords 170 piece (or however many) kit a few years ago - excellent quality and use it on everything from satellite dish installs to car work. I believe (though not convinced) that they are actually unmarked Snap-On tools but who knows...
 
Captain Jack said:
The missus gave me a Halfords 170 piece (or however many) kit a few years ago - excellent quality and use it on everything from satellite dish installs to car work. I believe (though not convinced) that they are actually unmarked Snap-On tools but who knows...
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You might have a King Dick
 

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I have one of the barrel spanners and it's very useful. It provides just a bit of extra purchase when tightening up by hand and fills out the "not quite an ordinary spanner size" F plug to a proper size.
 
PaulR said:
I have one of the barrel spanners and it's very useful. It provides just a bit of extra purchase when tightening up by hand and fills out the "not quite an ordinary spanner size" F plug to a proper size.
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Any idea which of those barrel/"box" spanners you have - and I/we know what you mean about F-plugs not being quite "ordinary spanner size" because this is what Wikipedia says about that:
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So 7/16th AF is probably the "correct" "across the flats" size - that said, my old (and very well used from the days I ran BMC vehicles) 7/16ths oe spanner is rather loose on an F-connector (generally I find that 11mm is a better fit)
 
jeallen01 said:
Talking of F-connectors - has anyone tried any of the tools that showed up when I typed "F-connector spanner" into ebay.co.uk - as herehttps://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=f-connectorspanner&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1311.R1.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xf-connector+spanner.TRS0&_nkw=f+connector+spanner&_sacat=0
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Yeah, I have a couple of these tools like the one below...

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They're good for helping tighten up F-connector but they're particularly useful in tight situations like multi-lnb set ups where the LNBs are very close together or touching each other. Makes things much less fiddly.
 
@Paul & Fisty

Many thanks, I'll get a couple (will almost certainly "lose" one straightaway :( )
 
I've made couple of such a tools some time ago. Very helpful, I must say, especially if there is a need to connect F-connectors in tight places.
 
This is the tool I probably use most for installations, sounds similar to that mentioned above, I have a 10 x 8mm socket on one side and 13 x 80mm socket on the other, works for most dishes and winding in M8 hex headed coach bolts for wall fixing.

Have had three, as they do break eventually, but they're not expensive.
 

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Ordered one of those mentioned by Paul (turns out to be an EMP-Centauri item, so should be OK) and one of the cheap long "screwdriver" types - but will see if I can cut back the "socket end" like RimaNTSS did on his.

That looks like one on-going issue "solved", but there's another thing that consistent "bugs" me = how to "weatherproof" F-connector plugs where the female socket is either effectively heavily recessed (as it is often is on the bottom of a DiSEqC motor) or adjacent to others (as it generally is on a DiSEqC switch - especially the ones with more than 4 connectors).

S/A tape can be used but it's difficult to get good coverage on a F-plug with "other stuff" very close to it, and most of the slide-over covers are too bulky to be used on the switches - and I have somewhat of an "aversion" to using silicone grease in many cases, because that "gets everywhere" and then you can't get S/A tape to adhere to anything.

So, any suggestions for more suitable covers?

PS: I know the Pros will often be using crimp-on sealed connectors, but both the connectors and the tools are relatively expensive for the amateur who only does a few outdoors connections from time-to-time (and,TBH, my previous experience with crimp-on connectors has been "less than successful" :( )

PPS: Had another thought - has anyone tried heatshrink for this sort of job?
 
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