Home-made polar mount - Techwatch Support Forums: Digital & Satellite TV, FTA, Cable, Computers, Mobile Phones, Apple and General Tech Forums

tmull · 08-01-10, 05:15 PM

Has any member ever made a polar mount. My Andrews polar mount has serious rust and as I cannot find a replacement I am considering having a go at making one. I was up the pole examining it when I thought ,being a fairly competent woodworker that if this was made of timber I could dupilacate it no problem. My steel working skills are limited but I think I shall have a go.Has anyone had a go? TMULL

chips · 09-01-10, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmull

Has any member ever made a polar mount. My Andrews polar mount has serious rust and as I cannot find a replacement I am considering having a go at making one. I was up the pole examining it when I thought ,being a fairly competent woodworker that if this was made of timber I could dupilacate it no problem. My steel working skills are limited but I think I shall have a go.Has anyone had a go? TMULL

Hi tmull

I think it may be possible to buy a polar mount, then make an adopter back plate so that it fits the channel master dish. Gilbertini make a 1.2m polar mount and they seem to be plentiful. You should have a look at one and see it that would be any easier.

Chips

tmull · 09-01-10, 11:44 AM

Chips,Thanks for the tip.I have my house on the market and although the market is very slow down here I did an inspection of my set-up.No immidiate danger of going off air but I dought if it will survive dismantling and re-assembly. It is about twenty years old and living on the coast means a lot of salt corrision.I tried to contact the chap who replied to our earlier posts but still no reply.TMULL

tmull · 30-01-10, 02:10 PM

Got a reply from the member that said they would be soon available. Unfortunatly he has no positive news yet.I set off to a local steel yard and for a tenner got myself enough steel to make a polar mount. I had all I needed in my woodworking shop except a small welder. A mate of mine loaned me one. I am the first to admit that I am no welder but I can stick two bits of steel together. If the parts are cut out and ready a half decent welder would weld them together in about fifteen minutes. This makes Andrews statement that they stopped making polar mounts as they could not eliminate a welder from the process a joke. An engineering shop with two men on the process could turn out dozens in a week.My next task is to get the parts galvanised. I shall keep it as a spare until the original,now twenty years old ,finally gives up the ghost. TMULL

dmgp · 08-02-10, 11:21 PM

Hi tmull I made my first ever polar mount and made a square backplate coz I couldn't bend or shape a round one ! Definitely easier to buy and modify someone elses ! Getting the dish central on the backplate is not too bad as long as the plate is large enough to stop the dish flexing.Good Luck
rgds
dmgp

08-01-10, 05:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
tmull Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 104 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Home-made polar mount Has any member ever made a polar mount. My Andrews polar mount has serious rust and as I cannot find a replacement I am considering having a go at making one. I was up the pole examining it when I thought ,being a fairly competent woodworker that if this was made of timber I could dupilacate it no problem. My steel working skills are limited but I think I shall have a go.Has anyone had a go? TMULL

09-01-10, 11:44 AM	#3 (permalink)
tmull Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 104 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Home-made polar mount Chips,Thanks for the tip.I have my house on the market and although the market is very slow down here I did an inspection of my set-up.No immidiate danger of going off air but I dought if it will survive dismantling and re-assembly. It is about twenty years old and living on the coast means a lot of salt corrision.I tried to contact the chap who replied to our earlier posts but still no reply.TMULL

30-01-10, 02:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
tmull Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 104 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Home-made polar mount Got a reply from the member that said they would be soon available. Unfortunatly he has no positive news yet.I set off to a local steel yard and for a tenner got myself enough steel to make a polar mount. I had all I needed in my woodworking shop except a small welder. A mate of mine loaned me one. I am the first to admit that I am no welder but I can stick two bits of steel together. If the parts are cut out and ready a half decent welder would weld them together in about fifteen minutes. This makes Andrews statement that they stopped making polar mounts as they could not eliminate a welder from the process a joke. An engineering shop with two men on the process could turn out dozens in a week.My next task is to get the parts galvanised. I shall keep it as a spare until the original,now twenty years old ,finally gives up the ghost. TMULL

08-02-10, 11:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
dmgp Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Home-made polar mount Hi tmull I made my first ever polar mount and made a square backplate coz I couldn't bend or shape a round one ! Definitely easier to buy and modify someone elses ! Getting the dish central on the backplate is not too bad as long as the plate is large enough to stop the dish flexing.Good Luck rgds dmgp