Ok guys, this for the guys who have a tripod they place on the ground, not you guys who have an automatic dish on the roof kind of question. I am trying to get a tripod from amazon or radio shack with a 2 inch acceptable pipe capability and I need to know how you secure yours to the ground. do you use a milk jug full of sand hanging down or do you drive small tent stacks into the ground or is there some other way I haven't thought of yet? I am worried about the winds in the Az desert and how bad they can be. Where did you get your tripod and how or what do you use to obtain a good signal. do you use a meter and a compass or what? thanks

Check TV4RV.com they have what you need. I have the smaller one for a 18" dish and is very sturdy.

I use a screw anchor with a bungee cord.For signal I use Satellite AR app on my smart phone. Rarely takes me more than 30sec to get a signal.

I have had one in the past that was simply bolted to a homemade platform made of pressure treated plywood. great for stability and no anchors needed. You could drill holes in the pipe and use hitch pins for quick release of the dish when you want to store it

My tri-pod has angle plates which came with it for feet. The angle plates have holes in them. 3 heavy duty stakes thru the angle plate. Strap from center to stake in ground in the center. Less storage space needed. Easy to plum level.Takes high winds. We strive to continue to reduce the weight in the RV. I have gotten rid of most of my wood used to level or needed.

Another vote for TV4RV.com. I have been using their tripod system for going on 4 years with a DirecTV Slimline dish. It has never moved once set and even survived a close call with a tornado last year. I have half a cinder block that I hang from it. I have been meaning to switch to an empty milk jug filed with water, but just haven't done it.

satellite dish tri pod | Good Sam Community

29 Replies

martipr
Explorer
Dec 13, 2013
You might consider this instead of a tripod;http://www.rv.net/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26905273/srt/pa/pging/1/page/2
Scroll down to post by mhawk4
Look at his post on page 3 for complete description.
Halmfamily
Explorer
Dec 12, 2013
I made one out of PVC pipe. Sits close to ground and folds flat for storage. I have even put it on the roof to clear some trees. Use a sand bag to keep it stable.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Dec 12, 2013
wthibeaux wrote:
Would this work. Get an auto or truck innertube. Remove the valve stem. Put top of tripod through the hole and drape innertube over legs of tripod. Fill the innertube with water. Put valve cap back on. Of course, you will need some way to fill the innertube.

Yes, it would work, but the implementation could be a problem. First, as you noted, getting the water into the tube is an issue. The next issue would be getting the water to flow evenly into each of the three segments, to avoid pulling the tube out of position as it fills. Emptying would also be a slow process. None of the issues are insurmountable, but given the number of other easier to manage solutions, it likely isn't going to be worth the effort.
wthibeaux
Explorer
Dec 12, 2013
Would this work. Get an auto or truck innertube. Remove the valve stem. Put top of tripod through the hole and drape innertube over legs of tripod. Fill the innertube with water. Put valve cap back on. Of course, you will need some way to fill the innertube.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Dec 12, 2013
I use two screw in dog tie-outs and tensioned tent ropes to anchor my low cost tripod and Dish 1000.4. That setup has held even in 60 MPH wind gusts with no signal loss. For the rare hard surface setup, I use a 5-gallon pail filled with water as the anchor.
wingsfan20
Explorer
Dec 11, 2013
the bear II wrote:
I use a tripod purchase from Home Depot, it's the kind used for mouting TV antennas on the roof. I folds up and stores easily. It will accept a 2" pipe but I use a 1 1/2" thin wall tubing that was used for an outdoor umbrella.

For weight I use the snow chains I carry in my truck if it's used on concrete or sand or I use stakes in grass/hardpack campsites.

I tried many different conduits and pipes for my 1000.2 dish. Best of all is 1-5/8" diameter cyclone fence rail. got it at Home Depot and cut to length fits dish perfectly. No slop, no extending the sleeve on dish.
TechWriter
Explorer
Dec 11, 2013
ljr wrote:
bob213 wrote:
I also use the AccutracIII meter that can locate all three sat's at once.

X2

A compass, a level and that meter make aiming trivial.

X3
2oldman
Explorer II
Dec 11, 2013
RJsfishin wrote:
Drive stakes into the asphalt ?? Yeah, right on !
My 'ground' is rarely asphalt.
old guy wrote:
or what do you use to obtain a good signal.
Magnetic $7 compass to get in general direction, Swift Hitch camera to see TV screen signal strength from outside.
RJsfishin
Explorer
Dec 11, 2013
Now, for ther right way !

Drive on top of a 4ft 2x12. The dish base (6" long pipe) is bolted to the opposite end
Then the 3ft dish pole slides into the base pipe. It ain't goin anywhere.

Drive stakes into the asphalt ?? Yeah, right on !
2oldman
Explorer II
Dec 11, 2013
I use the tv4rv tripod, and drive nails into the ground to secure a strap.

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satellite dish tri pod

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