mounting a dish outside a portakabin

ooter

i'm looking to mount a sky dish outside a portakabin, there is a square metal pole about 2 inches wide on all 4 sides that is running from the top to the bottom of the portakabin just beside the entry door, would anyone know of a bracket I could attach around the pole that I could then mount the dish on to?

TAFKAlawhec

For a 50mm square vertical bracket, the first idea that cropped up was a "balcony bracket" - these are intended to be mounted on the rail of a balcony but are quite adaptable and can be fixed to horizontal or vertical poles. The main disadvantage is that if you're trying to install a Sky Zone 2 dish, they're designed to install on a 32mm round pole, and most balcony brackets have a 37 or 38mm round pole to affix a dish or aerial to, thus most Zone 2 dishes can't be fixed on to them without either some sort of bodge or additional adjustment. If it's the smaller Zone 1 dish, then they can be fixed on to the 37 or 38mm pole with an additional wall bracket that is sold for these dishes.



As an alternative for Zone 2 dishes, a "shelley clamp" will probably work. These are designed to connect two poles together either on the same plane or at a 90 degree angle. Here, you would attach the 50mm square pole and the "J" pole of the Zone 2 dish together at right angles so that the J pole sticks out as would be seen normally for the dish to be mounted on. Best idea would be to get a 2 inch by 2 inch clamp with two V or U bolts.



As a final alternative if you have some scrap material around, you could fabricate a bracket that could easily clamp on to the square pole. You'd need a material that is weather & UV resistant e.g. some spare square or rectangular tubing, a couple of thick nylon chopping boards, or even wood as long as it is (a) fully weather treated, and (b) you can accept that it could warp or rot away within a handful of years. You'd also need at least four good nuts & bolts (preferably M8 or M10 stainless steel A2, or A4 in costal areas) with appropriate penny washers, as well as additional nuts, bolts & washers to secure the Sky dish bracket to one face or the bracket.