Backward Progress?

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Realigning the dish brought back Astra 28E UKSB for the usual short reception period around lunchtime. The feedhorn extension ring seemed to help.

Now I have to decide whether it is really worth all the effort to dig a deep hole and fix a mounting pole in concrete. I have had the galvanised pipe for weeks but still have the dish hanging temporarily on an angle iron trapezium.

Will a firm pole and the original mounting provide any extra signal? It would certainly ensure the dish didn't move. The large dish is extremely sensitive to pointing. The problem with poles is that they are fixed. You don't get a second chance to position it perfectly. There is a bank falling away behind the dish position with mature shrubs beyond. Which rather limits where the pole could go.

Access is still required behind the dish for adjustment. Though pushing the dish back as far as possible would be beneficial for other reasons: It takes up slightly less space in the parking area and looks slightly smaller with increased distance from the house.

Height is another important consideration. Cars can be parked closer to the dish since it will see over them better on a taller pole. While a taller pole exposes the dish to slightly stronger winds and provides less shelter from shrubs and hedges. Reaching the feed is more difficult but not unduly so from a stepladder. However, a taller pole increases the leverage the dish loads put on the pole in high winds. Better not to let the dish be exposed to high winds!

Tuesday: My new Invacom feedhorn has now been with DHL Germany for five whole days without moving! [According to their own Track and Trace web page] I paid extra for premium airmail too! Thank you DHL for falling over yourselves to get the item to me! You can look forwards to my negative comments on Trust Pilot.

Wednesday: DHL finally updates its T&T to say the package arrived in Denmark on Sunday, 3 days ago. Though it took them four days to update this information. Still no word whether it is out for delivery.

Now it seems the package might have been handled by Deutsche Post for delivery via Post Danmark but who knows? DHL's T&T web page can't even carry the tracking number over from German to English! A new search has to be made in the new language every time I hit the English button. Which means copying the tracking number to paste it into the new language search box! It is 2014 isn't it? Don't you believe it! No post, at all, again! 

I tried digging a pole hole in the ideal spot and found 50% hardcore and 50% half bricks. Two feet (60cm) further forward and I found just hard, compacted soil. I have reached about 24" so far but it is far too hot and humid to continue today. I shall start digging again tomorrow when it is cooler. There seems to be a layer of hard clay down there now. As long as I don't hit any rocks, cables or pipes it should go quite quickly. The hole still needs to be enlarged to take the welded pole flange. I didn't want to dig a large hole straight off in case I hit more hardcore.

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