satellite dish

[gstod]

My uncle has this big satellite dish he doesnt want anymore. He offered it to me if i can take it down without damage to the house or powerlines. How should i go about scrapping it? What type of metal would you say the dish is made of?

[Mechanic688]

If that is a pic of the actual dish, those are an aluminum mesh fastened to "aircraft" aluminum ribs. Usually the mesh is fastened with hex head screws or alum. pop rivets. The motors were steel/alum, some had stainless shafts(it's sticking out back). The pipe it's sitting on is probably a 6" double or triple wall steel. The electronic LNA is sitting behind the round cover out front. it is usually cast alum. with a small circuit board and some gold plating inside. That's either an 8 or 10 footer. Hope this helps some,,
Used to install them back around the '80's.
To add to my post a little more; the cables going into the house will be good copper in the coaxes and either a 6 or 8 wire cable going to the motor.

[gstod]

Thanks alot for the info. Any advice about getting it down safely? Would it be better to fell it like a tree with i guide line so it doesn't hit the house, or take it apart on a ladder?

[Mechanic688]

The company that put it up there probably put it up with a gin pole, that's a crane looking thing that fastens to the upper pipe. You'll notice from my other post that the pipe is 6" and either double wall or triple wall. Double wall is 1/2" thick and triple wall is about 5/8 to 3/4" thick. The installer might have used a boom-tree trimmer truck if he did a lot of those, as those 6" pipes are very, very heavy. They will get away from you and go crashing to the ground if you try to lower it. I'd say hire an out of work tree trimmer to take it down for you, it would be a lot safer that way. Your looking at roughly 20 to 25 lbs per foot on that pipe, and one or two people will not be able to handle it. My company only put one up there in the air and we refused to do any more; it was just too dangerous for us!!
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/st...hts-d_774.html

[gstod]

Thanks again I think maybe ill let it sit there for a while more maybe it'll come down in a storm and do all the hard work for me

[IdahoScrapper]

Hard to tell from the picture, but do you have a clear shot away from the house? If so, tie off a rope up top, have several guys on the rope and someone to cut the base and topple it on over.


Good luck and be careful.

[Mechanic688]

have several guys on the rope and someone to cut the base and topple it on over.

Better have it tied off to a truck bumper and use the truck to ease it down, about the only safe way. We used 10 ft. pipes on the standard dishes and they weighed about 75-100lb and they were not double walled.

[gstod]

Thanks everyone for the advice i called my uncle and cousin up yesterday and we dropped it pretty easy. Tied a 100ft rope off at the top and had them keep tension on it while i cut the base. I left about an inch and a half of the pipe to keep it as a hinge so the end didnt kick out as it fell. Now i just need to get some new blades for the sawzall to cut up the pole any recomendations?

[Mick]

... Now i just need to get some new blades for the sawzall to cut up the pole any recomendations?

Lenox. Various TPI, Those general use blades are ok, but just - general.

[Mechanic688]

Demolition blades work good cutting thru metal pipes,,

[KzScrapper]

I used the thinner metal cut-off wheels on a 4 1/2in grinder to cut some heavy gauge fence post this weekend and they went thru pretty quick. Have to be careful not to flex the disc tho or it will break.

[gstod]

Thanks again everyone for the help. Got it broken down and loaded up today. Heres a pic of it loaded up in the truck. It broke down a lot smaller then i thought it would.