Comet GP-3 on DirecTV J-pole Mount?

[DewAddict]

Hi All,

I'd like to re-purpose my old DirecTV dish mount and use it for my Comet GP-3 antenna. A little background for you all is that the mount in on my roof which is about 12 feet high. The mount is the taller version, not the short one. The mount is secured into the roof using 5 lag bolts. I live on a decent size lot and do not have any trees in my yard so the antenna will take the winds. My plan is to remove the dish and then secure the GP-3. I would ultimately like to add a 5 foot mast for a bit more height but not sure if the mount could handle that. I also saw that I could buy the bracer poles and add those to the dish mount essentially turning it into a tripod.

I've read differentiating opinions on if this can be done safely. Some say no problem and others are a hard "No!" Some say the dish itself has more wind load than the GP-3 ever would. I am trying to avoid drilling into my roof since the mount is already there.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks all.

 

[prcguy]

A GP-3 is fairly small and much less wind resistance than a DirecTV Slimline dish. The mount is way strong enough but the question is the mounting surface. If you have the two outrigger arms making it a tripod it will hold up fine, if its just the small rectangular foot lagged into your roof then it can be a lot of stress on the small surface area under the foot. Grabbing the mount and wrestling it around will tell you if its in solid or if you should add outrigger arms or do something else.

Hi All,

I'd like to re-purpose my old DirecTV dish mount and use it for my Comet GP-3 antenna. A little background for you all is that the mount in on my roof which is about 12 feet high. The mount is the taller version, not the short one. The mount is secured into the roof using 5 lag bolts. I live on a decent size lot and do not have any trees in my yard so the antenna will take the winds. My plan is to remove the dish and then secure the GP-3. I would ultimately like to add a 5 foot mast for a bit more height but not sure if the mount could handle that. I also saw that I could buy the bracer poles and add those to the dish mount essentially turning it into a tripod.

I've read differentiating opinions on if this can be done safely. Some say no problem and others are a hard "No!" Some say the dish itself has more wind load than the GP-3 ever would. I am trying to avoid drilling into my roof since the mount is already there.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks all.

 

[DewAddict]

Thanks. It's most likely attached to the plywood of the roof. My home has no accessible attic space so I cannot go and look. I don't know if they hit a rafter or not. I'll go up there when the snow melts and give it a tug to see how it feels. Thank you very much for your input.

A GP-3 is fairly small and much less wind resistance than a DirecTV Slimline dish. The mount is way strong enough but the question is the mounting surface. If you have the two outrigger arms making it a tripod it will hold up fine, if its just the small rectangular foot lagged into your roof then it can be a lot of stress on the small surface area under the foot. Grabbing the mount and wrestling it around will tell you if its in solid or if you should add outrigger arms or do something else.

 

[Ubbe]

Remember that the windload on the pole mount will increase 4 times if the pole lenght are increased to the double. And if the lenght are 4 times longer the load on the pole mount will increase 16 times, if an antenna are placed at the end of the pole. The wind load also increase 4 times if the wind blows twice as fast and if the wind speed picks up 4 times, the wind load will increase by 16 times.

/Ubbe

 

[Firekite]

I'll go up there when the snow melts and give it a tug to see how it feels.

How'd this end up working out for you?

 

[DewAddict]

How'd this end up working out for you?

Unfortunately we had a basement flood about 4 days after I posted my question. Still working on the total basement remodel to be completed. I still plan to try this out and will post an update once I figure it out and the basement radio room is complete.