Gourd Rack

Guest · Thu Jan 13, 2011 11:35 pm

I am new here and wanted to see if I could get a little help. I have an old aluminum satellite dish I am wanting to convert to a gourd rack. I have a 2" galvanized pole that I would use also. Does anyone have any pictures or info on how to do this? Any help would be appreciated

Gobbler T · Fri Jan 14, 2011 7:02 am

I wish I were there to help you. I wanted to do the very same thing. Everyone I mentioned it to just howled with laughter.

There is a man about a quarter mile from me that had one, and I thought what a great idea

He put his up with the cone facing down, but I would think the gourds would be easier for the birds to access if the cone faced up.

Sorry I'm not there to help!

Guest · Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:13 pm

Sounds like a good idea to me. I would try it too if I had one, sorry I have no helpful advice on this, just be sure to use a heavier wench than normal.

flyin-lowe · Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:52 pm

This has been brought up before and a few members have done this. Here is one of the threads, I know there are more I just couldn't find them.

http://www.purplemartin.org/forum/viewt ... =satellite

Joe Zorn · Sat Jan 15, 2011 12:24 am

If you're really interested in this Sat dish rack, then they are easy enough to acquire.

Those C-Band dishes are no longer supported by the television industry. DirecTV and Dish Network's programming on mini dishes long ago made those 8 and 10 foot C-band dishes obsolete.

For several years, I sold and installed satellite systems. Also, I contracted to install DTV systems for several major electronics outlets.

I turned down a hundred or more opportunities to remove and haul off old C-band dishes.

Drive down a country road near your home. There are still many dishes in yards that are yours for the asking. People always offered to sell me their old equipment, but before I finished my work they were begging me to take it down for them (and haul it off, of course). Some paid me to do it, but not many. Old folks, mostly.

I'm not exaggerating. Yours for the asking.

Guest · Sat Jan 15, 2011 1:24 am

Why do you think the gourds would be easier for the martins to access if the dish was pointed up?

Thanks for the link to the thread it was a great read but I sure wish there were some pictures of how it was attached to be raised and lowered. I already took the mesh off the dish. I thought it might affect whether the martins would feel like it was closed in.

If anyone else would like to chime in I sure would appreciate it.

Guest · Sat Jan 15, 2011 1:27 am

I think I see what you mean by the rack being with the cone up. The inner circle of gourds might be hard for the martins to access, but they are very good flyers as everyone knows. Now I have to think about that a bit to decide which way to mount it.

Gobbler T · Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:00 am

You are thinking right. With the cone down, it looks better but the inner gourds are at a higher point so the martins have to swoop down and back up again to get to them.

Of course the martins are good flyers so it might not be a problem for them. However an owl on the other hand might not be able to swoop up in that short of a distance

Something to think about!

The guy down the road had his on a 4x4 with a winch. I noticed it several times swaying in the wind and spinning around quite a bit. I talked with his father at a yard sale once and he said "I told him that that thing had to be stable and not turn if he wanted to get martins, but he's hard headed"
He never got martins! He has taken it down.

Guest · Sat Jan 15, 2011 3:51 pm

Thinking about the owls and or hawks, I think you have a point. It might be harder for them to get to the gourds with the cone facing up. I have to make sure that the dish is stable also. I do not want it spinning on the pole. I am think about using a small diameter steel cable to raise and lower the rack with a small hand crank winch. I think the cable itself might keep the dish from spinning.

Emil Pampell-Tx · Sat Jan 15, 2011 5:11 pm

I don't think that I would trust the cable to hold the rack in place. I would put a slot at the top of the rack, and have a place for the slot to fit into the pole. When it would be raised all the way up, the slot would keep it from turning. Of course, it could turn when you start lowering it.

Guest · Sat Jan 15, 2011 5:24 pm

Could you explain what you mean by a slot? Do you mean in the dish frame?

eah415 · Sun Jan 16, 2011 12:14 pm

I don't know if you can see what they mean about a slot in this picture or not. If you can't E-mail me and I'll try to find another.

Guest · Sun Jan 16, 2011 1:14 pm

I don't see a picture.

Guest · Mon Jan 17, 2011 6:41 pm

I would love to see a picture of how the dish locks into the slot so it will not turn.

Emil Pampell-Tx · Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:50 pm

TerryB, I don't have one to show you, but the slot that I saw looked like an upside V at the top. The bottom looked the same way, and it slid in to keep the rack from rotating. The V that I saw was welded onto the rack and onto the pole near the top wheel. The height and width both were about 2 inches. I suppose that it could be said that the top was the female, the bottom was the male part of the slot...A short rope was used to guide the rack into the slot when it was raised.

I hope you understand. A photo is so helpful sometimes, so sorry that I don't have one.

flyin-lowe · Mon Jan 17, 2011 7:54 pm

My t14 is on a round pole and it does not move more then an inch or so at most. The cable is tight and keeps it from spinnning. I am not sure if the dynamics on a gourd rack would be different or not.