Mounting a Dish... How can this be done?

[Shel]

I am trying to get a satellite dish right now. and the big hangup is getting the dish mounted. We had a dish several years back, and it was mounted on a metal pole, FREE. The landlord said we could have a dish as long as there was no drilling or mounting the dish on the building. So a pole this time makes sense too, only they want to charge $75 to set a pole... (Oh but its a very nice pole they say) I say thats crap. I have no post hole diggers or anything, but is there a way around this?

thanks

[Mark Lamutt]

Hi Shel, and welcome to DBSTalk! :hi:

Well, you could talk to another dealer and see if they will include the pole mount in the installation, or you could do it yourself. It'd be some work, and the materials to cost a little bit, but it wouldn't be too hard to do.

[apc1]

$75 is a standard rate for a pole mount. Some charge more so it's not unreasonable. You could ask for them to throw the pole mount in for free but don't expect a quality job. Pay the $75 and get yourself a professional installation. Just my $.02

[HTguy]

Yes, you are asking for custom installation above & beyond what is included in the free standard professional install. $75 is very reasonable for digging the whole, putting in the cement & the pole & trenching in to the building. You will also need a flat wire adaptor if no drilling is allowed.

If $75 is going to hurt too much, go to Home Depot and buy a big bucket, a bag of cement and a 1 5/8 chain link fence top rail. Get a spirit level, too, if you don't have one. Cut the rail to length (6' or so) or have them do it for you at HD. Good idea to drill some holes in one end & put a rod thru it, also.

Mix the cement & pour it in the bucket around the end of the rail with the rod. Hold it absolutely plumb w/ the level until the cement starts to set. After the cement cures put the bucket on your deck or patio or in your yard where you want it & have line-of-sight and you are ready for a free install.

You can top off the bucket with potting soil & put in some plants or paint it or camouflage it a lot of different ways.

[Shel]

The competing company in town will do it for $40!

[Shel]

an update on this, when the installer came out... there was a pole already there from somebody who had lived there previously and had a dish, so we just attached to that one, and it ended up being a free install :)