BajaNomad

Satellite Dishes and high winds?

Cardon Man - 10-10-2008 at 02:56 PM

During last years hurricane I opted to take down my dishes for the worst of the storm. Maybe an over reaction but I figured I'd play it safe. Just wondering what is the point with regards to high winds that it becomes advisable to take down satellite dishes...70mph?....or beyond?

Pompano - 10-10-2008 at 03:26 PM

I'll chime in here. I have had 2 satellite dishes up for many years (newest since 1999 and oldest in use around 1988) and never have had to re-adjust either. Using my Hughes.net Internet dish now to send this and also watching..ugh...CNN with the other 2-meter dish. I know..I should switch to FOX NEWS like toneart. :rolleyes:

As I can recall, we have had a peak of 90mph chubasco winds here in Coyote Bay... so said my caretaker.. whom, after a lengthy search, we found high in the palms

vandenberg - 10-10-2008 at 03:35 PM

Never took any dish down and went through 2 chubascos and 3 hurricanes. However, after all of them had to readjust the dish. Succeeded in realigning them,( took hours ) and invented some choice words during the process.:biggrin:

Cardon Man - 10-10-2008 at 03:56 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by vandenberg
Never took any dish down and went through 2 chubascos and 3 hurricanes. However, after all of them had to readjust the dish. Succeeded in realigning them,( took hours ) and invented some choice words during the process.:biggrin:


Well, that's exactly what I'd like to avoid. Bird-dogging my sat signals back without a signal finder would be a major hassle. I guess I'd just rather take the dish itself off for the wind so that it could easily be re-installed and still be pointed in the right direction.

vandenberg - 10-10-2008 at 04:58 PM

Cardon man

I have a signal finder, but nowadays with numerous satellites up there, you still have to take time to find the correct one. Reinstalling the dish, only gets you into the ballpark. Much better to get it as solid as possible, leave it up and maybe it still lines up after the storm, or otherwise you're at least in the ballpark and close to where it should be. I tried putting marks on the concrete for alignment, but that didn't work. Not close enough.
And usually it's the side to side that moves. Seems like the elevation doesn't get affected as easily.

[Edited on 10-11-2008 by vandenberg]

Cypress - 10-10-2008 at 05:11 PM

Your sat dish will be OK, wherever it ends up.:)

BCSTech - 10-12-2008 at 09:16 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cardon Man
During last years hurricane I opted to take down my dishes for the worst of the storm. Maybe an over reaction but I figured I'd play it safe. Just wondering what is the point with regards to high winds that it becomes advisable to take down satellite dishes...70mph?....or beyond?
Hard to give a "one answer fits all." Hmm, depends on the dish, the mount, the location, and the quality of the install work. A well made 3' dish on a Schedule 40 steel post set into the ground with concrete will behave totally differently in a storm than a flimsy 6' dish on a weak roof mount.

After Hurricane John hit Buena Vista, we found roof-mounted 3' metal dishes totally clam shelled with their bases bent over or torn out. Meanwhile, a roof-mounted 4' Andrew fiberglass directly across the street and nearer the beach was still standing and on satellite.