Advice Needed Mounting Motorised Dish

[A Lancashire Lad]

Hi all,

I'm currently putting a list of components together for installing a motorised dish. The dish I intend to purchase is a Gibertini OP 85 SE or XP and TM2600 M2 motor, I'd like to go to 1m but don't think that will be possible due to the dish location.
T K brackets to mount to wall I know that on a 18" bracket the pole will be 16" from wall and a 24" bracket the pole will be 20" from wall.
Can someone tell me how much extra clearance the TM2600 motor adds? Don't want to fit a 24" bracket if I don't have too. I know under normal use the dish will not be anywhere near the wall but it would be handy to have it at right angle to wall for maintenance.
Any advice on mounting the T K brackets would be welcome the dish will have to go on the front of the house, have 90cm of brick work from the bedroom window to the corner of the house which is the only place it can go. What are the distances between the 3 wall bolt holes on the K bracket, I'm assuming the width of the bracket stays the same only the length of arm changes. I live in a modern house with those stupid bricks that have 3 holes through them so I want to be able drill into the solid part of the brick. What fixings would you recommend? I think the only options I’ve got is nylon plugs and Coach bolts if so what length? Or resin and threaded bar.

 

[snapperoonie]

First off let me say I'm no installer but I am a mechanical engineer/toolmaker, after much research I used resin to install my dish and if I were ever to move and have re-install it I would do it in exactly the same way.
Details here:-
https://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/threads/dish-upgrade.153890/#post-829104

 

[A Lancashire Lad]

Thanks for your reply Snap I read your thread with interest. You’ve convinced me to go with resin fixing.
I used resin to fix my 37” plasma tv's articulated wall bracket to Thermalite block. I didn’t use sleeves just resin and stainless threaded bar, only problem I had was one of the nylock nuts seized on the bar on idea why and the bar broke the bond with the resin while trying to release the nut, was simple fix just unscrewed the bar and drilled out the old resin and re did with new resin and bar, will upload pictures in Home AV section when I get some time. How deep did you drill into your brick? I measured the width of the block and deducted 10mm which is the same way I’ll mount the dish brackets. This time I’ll use sleeves as they will keep the bar central in the hole, what diameter was your threaded bar?

 

[sonnetpete]

Hi and welcome to the forum...

To answer your query about size of T&K brackets : I'm using a 1.2M dish on a Clark Tech motor (almost identical to a TM2600) and the dish and motor are mounted on 12" T&K brackets. I don't think you'd have any problem if you use 18" brackets and an 85cm or 1M dish. I get round to 53E and the dish isn't touching the wall.

 

[rolfw]

If your wall is facing due south, then a smaller bracket can be used, most motors add another 8 or so inches of offset, plus you have the offset of the dish bracket and most motors won't turn much more than 60 degrees either side and half of the dish width will only be around 19 inches. You could possibly even get away with 12" T&Ks.

I use long hilti plugs for those bricks, but resin fixings will also be a good choice, consider a Fracarro Penta 85 aluminium dish, light and a good performer.

 

[A Lancashire Lad]

Thanks sonnetpete will go with 18" as I can get a good deal on a set, might change my mind when I test fit all the parts

Hi rolfw, I've looked at the Penta 85 (not in the flesh), but I have a feeling that because of its odd shape peoples eye could be draw to it. Whereas they are so use to seeing oval and round dishes they don't stand out as much, since I've been looking into going motorised only just noticed that one of my neighbours has a fixed 90cm dish on the front of his house been up for years. I might give the hilti plugs a go on the zone 2 sky dish mount, do you use the 70mm ones?

 

[Analoguesat]

If you are concerned about the visibility aspect then just spray paint the finished install with car primer paint to match the wall behind.

 

[Captain Jack]

I actually think the Penta 85 looks less like a satellite dish and likely to attract less attention. I had one up in a pretty prominent position in a place where I wasn't really allowed a satellite dish (a new block of flats - on the balcony) and noone uttered a word about it.

 

[sonnetpete]

I have a Penta 85 as part of my multisat setup and asthetically it seems to be more acceptable to visitors than the usual round dishes....(of course anyone who visits here and doesn't like sat dishes in general gets the dogs set on them...)

 

[Captain Jack]

That's an interesting mounting option though. I like the idea of the resin - how strong is it? Is it stronger than a typical plastic sleeve/coach screw arrangement? What about anchor bolts? Or do these have a habit of splitting bricks?

 

[Riverblue]

That's an interesting mounting option though. I like the idea of the resin - how strong is it? Is it stronger than a typical plastic sleeve/coach screw arrangement? What about anchor bolts? Or do these have a habit of splitting bricks?

Resin fixings are very strong, make sure that you properly blow out all the dust and debris from the drill hole (use a long straw or similar) otherwise the 2 part chemical resin will not adhere properly to the substrate which will lead to the failure of the fixing. I think you can split most bricks/blocks if you over tighten the nuts, although I've never had problem with chemical fixings. I tend to use fischer nylon expansion plugs.

 

[A Lancashire Lad]

Thanks Analoguesat and C.J. will look at doing a paint job or will just leave grey, both the Penta and Gibertini come in brick red, looking at pictures the Penta appears to be closest to UK brick, the Gibertini looks more like dark red, neither of them come close to my brick which is beige. It's my own fault, always seem to pick houses with the front south facing. My last large dish was 1.2m prime focus dish on the side of the house above the gutter connected to an Echostar SR4500, then there was no DBS, very little encryption, no digital, just tuned into the foreign, news, OB and cable channel feeds. Sorry gone a bit off topic

 

[sonnetpete]

I agree the Gibertini is somewhat darker than the usual brick colour. You can see it in situ (and the Penta 85) in this photo :

 

[A Lancashire Lad]

Nice collection, still not decided which way to go, just buying the components in as finances allow or if I spot a bargain. Dish will probably be one of the last items.

 

[rolfw]

Thanks sonnetpete will go with 18" as I can get a good deal on a set, might change my mind when I test fit all the parts

Hi rolfw, I've looked at the Penta 85 (not in the flesh), but I have a feeling that because of its odd shape peoples eye could be draw to it. Whereas they are so use to seeing oval and round dishes they don't stand out as much, since I've been looking into going motorised only just noticed that one of my neighbours has a fixed 90cm dish on the front of his house been up for years. I might give the hilti plugs a go on the zone 2 sky dish mount, do you use the 70mm ones?

Yes, the 70mm ones. Penta dishes alos come in dull red, so can look less obtrusive.

 

[A Lancashire Lad]

Thanks everyone, first thing I've got to do is to put up my new zone 2 dish on the side of the house and remove the old zone 1 as the motorised dish will be going up in that location. Will let you know how things go, will be a several months before I get that one up and running, will upload pictures was things progress. Of course I'll be back on the keyboard if I have any questions.

 

[snapperoonie]

. How deep did you drill into your brick? ,
what diameter was your threaded bar?

I used 85mm long sleeves so drilled the holes just deep enough so that the flange on the sleeve sat flush onto the brick i.e. about 90mm, it really doesn't matter too much if you break into the cavity as the resin will seal everything up anyway.
For the studs I used 10mm stainless steel allthread.
I'm guessing that when you followed the link I posted it didn't take you to the top of the thread, if you start from the top you'll find info about the materials and method I used.
The mesh sleeves are essential in perforated bricks as when the resin is forced through the holes in the mesh it generates the mechanical interlock that makes these fixings so strong.

 

[Captain Jack]

I am assuming that it will be just as strong in normal (solid) bricks too?

 

[snapperoonie]

I am assuming that it will be just as strong in normal (solid) bricks too?

As far as I remember, after all it is a couple of years since I did the research, so long as the hole is drilled with a normal SDS type drill then the answer is yes if you use the product that I used, if the hole is drilled using diamond drills that leave a smooth surface then you need to use different resins, have a look at this for further info :-
http://www.fischer.co.uk/PortalData...es-documents/documents/1.Chemical_(V3)web.pdf
As a foot note I would add that we have a single pillar crane at work that lifts 2 tonne coils of aluminium strip that is fixed to a concrete floor using chemical anchors all be it of a different type, you just have to use the correct type of resin for your application, but after all is said and done for a DIY dish install then the materials and method that I used should be infinitely more than adequate, TBH I would be more worried about the integrity of the wall rather than the fixings.

 

[A Lancashire Lad]

I used 85mm long sleeves so drilled the holes just deep enough so that the flange on the sleeve sat flush onto the brick i.e. about 90mm, it really doesn't matter too much if you break into the cavity as the resin will seal everything up anyway.
For the studs I used 10mm stainless steel allthread.
I'm guessing that when you followed the link I posted it didn't take you to the top of the thread, if you start from the top you'll find info about the materials and method I used.
The mesh sleeves are essential in perforated bricks as when the resin is forced through the holes in the mesh it generates the mechanical interlock that makes these fixings so strong.

Sorry Snapperoonie did read the full thread I must be suffering from word blindness