colin weston Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I have purchased a Multimo Satellite Dish which works very well. I also purchased as an accessory a magnet which mounts in the base of the unit with the intention of 'sticking' the dish on the roof of my van should conditions allow. Question: Has anyone out there stuck a steel disc on their roof for this purpose? If so how did you protect the steel from rusting? what did you use to attach the disc to the roof? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chudders Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I have a Multimo as well and was also thinking of roof mounting when settled on a site, easily reached through the Heki. (Not for travelling of course) I was going to get the suction mount as it is supposed to be very strong and can be mounted on the vertical side of the van as well. (so I,m told anyway). Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 could always fix using SIKAFLEX Adhesive Glue a piece of stainless steel on roof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 JudgeMental - 2009-10-11 6:16 PM could always fix using SIKAFLEX Adhesive Glue a piece of stainless steel on roof Sorry Judge but Stainless Steel isn't Magnetic unless it's really cr*p quality in which case it will still go rusty. Galvanised or 'Zintec' will be your only options. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Keithl - 2009-10-11 6:44 PM JudgeMental - 2009-10-11 6:16 PM could always fix using SIKAFLEX Adhesive Glue a piece of stainless steel on roof Sorry Judge but Stainless Steel isn't Magnetic unless it's really cr*p quality in which case it will still go rusty. Galvanised or 'Zintec' will be your only options. Keith. Doh! :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Apology accepted Judge. I actually had to try sticking a fridge magnet to the SS cooker to make sure I had got my facts right before replying!!!! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Keithl - 2009-10-11 7:48 PM Apology accepted Judge. I actually had to try sticking a fridge magnet to the SS cooker to make sure I had got my facts right before replying!!!! Keith. Good experiment, unfortunatly doesn't tell you if it's good quality stainless, just tells you if it's austinitic or ferritic/matensitic. A good quality ferritic steel as we use in aircraft manufacturing is both magnetic and corrosion resistant. Unfortunatly it's very expensive and not too easy to obtain, and I'm not familier with specs for commercial stainless to offer an alternative, so I would say get mild steel plate and epoxy paint it, or buy a panel van ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigrem Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Why not use the suction mount option as then you can fix a stainless steel plate with Silkaflex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmover Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Hi Colin, I have to ask Why mount a Multimo dish on the roof?, the hassle of setting the dish up in such a position is not worth it. Get a Aluminium music speaker/ Tripod stand form Maplin £19-00. Adjustable from 3Ft to 8Ft high, very light. set it up anywhere to get a clear line of sight . (Trees Buildings etc). You will also save money by not having to buy a metal plate and mastic/adhesive. Em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losos Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Keithl - 2009-10-11 7:44 PM Sorry Judge but Stainless Steel isn't Magnetic unless it's really cr*p quality in which case it will still go rusty. Galvanised or 'Zintec' will be your only options. Keith. Yes, I use stainless steel in my workshop and you can't magnetise it except as Keith has mentioned the really poor quality stuff (From India or suchlike) that is sold as 'stainless' but isn't!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyishuk Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I have used stainless steel discs on the roof and they do hold the dish except when the wind blows the dish swivels and loses the signal. Also its a bit of a pain to either climb the ladder or climb around inside trying to line up the dish from insie through the roof light. In the end I brought a tripod which also doubles as a washing line. A bit like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Portable-Indoor-Rotary-Clothes-Washing/dp/B000VD1EII but about £25 from the local caravan shop. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrytraveller Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Hi Colin, I made up a plastic base 12" square from a left over piece of plastic barge board. I drilled and countersunk holes underneath the plastic base for countersunk head screws, so the screws were flush in the base underneath. I then mounted an L shaped profile, 6 inch long piece of angle iron sawn from an old bedstead and secured it through the base with nuts and the countersunk screws I borrowed from work. A short length of aerial mast 1.5” by 9" rescued from a neighbours skip, was bolted to the angle iron with a left over U bolt from a previous home aerial installation. The base was secured to the GRP roof by using sikaflex left over from mounting the solar panel. The multimo is supplied with U bolts and butterfly nuts and strap, these are used to secure the dish to the pole, mast or stud in this case. To allow the dish to be rotated without the multimo bracket from digging into the ally mast stud, use a piece of plastic sealant cartridge, cut a slot in the cartridge and trim slot so the cartridge sleeves the ally tube, and mount the Multimo U bolts over the sleeve. I found it to be an advantage to encapsulate the Multimo U bolt threads and butterfly nuts by using a bit of old tin from a baked bean can, folding it over an drilling a clearance hole, placing this over the slotted end of the strap, stops the assembly from coming apart as you mount the dish on the aerial stub. If the base assembly is mounted close to the Heki, but clearance enough so the dish can be rotated 360 deg, standing on the sofa I could mount the dish from indoors. The installation has worked well over the last five years all over Europe and has stayed up in all weathers and winds. I always remove the dish before driving as some multimo’s LNB’s are not fully waterproofed. I found the base wasn’t too costly to produce either……… *-) Regards Terry *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin weston Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 Hi, Thank you all for your suggestions. I will ponder these and hopefully arrive at the best solution for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Colin, can't you just attach it to your bike rack and save all that messing about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin weston Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 Hi All, I thought I should now give you an update on my final choice. Several contributors suggested mounting the dish on a tripod or the cycle rack. However, I really wanted a mounting whereby I could leave the dish 'in situ' for a few days without the possibility of someone stealing it. As I dont have an external ladder the roof seemed a natural choice. Access to the top of the van via the rooflight using a plastic step on top on the wooden bed base is fairly simple. I decided to have a root around my garage to see what 'odds and sods' I had that would facilitate a mounting. I came across a formed piece of stainless steel which used to cover our wooden door step and 'Bingo', the magnet nearly jumped out of my hand. It's obviously a good quality stainless as it was fitted to my step for some 20 years without showing any sign of corrosion. So it was decision made. I cut out a suitable piece, bought some Sikaflex, and fitted it today before the rain arrives tomorrow. Thanks again for all your suggestions. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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