[amsat-bb] Source for 3" (76mm) pipe for dish mount?

[B J]

On 5/9/16, Scott <scott23192 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Greetings!
>
> I was fortunate enough to given a 100cm dish to play with but the mounting
> bracket requires a 3" (76mm) pipe.  I need about a 1 meter length.
>
> The dish is a bit too heavy for me to use commonly available PVC pipe... I
> have to wonder if there is an industry that I should be looking at to find
> metal pipe of that diameter.  Metal pipe is somewhat rare in the plumbing
> world these days - I wonder if others have had luck with suppliers of fence
>
> posts, signs, or some other industry.
>
> Of course, if there is a place to buy pipes intended for dish installations,
>
> all the better.
>
> I'm just looking for something that I don't have to take out a bank loan to
>
> purchase.  Free is ok, too!
>
> Appreciate any suggestions - I'm located in the U.S.

<snip>

You can try custom fabrication shops that build process vessels or
related equipment.  When I worked in the oil industry, pipe sizes like
what you're looking for were common, so it's not unusual for that to
be in stock somewhere.

Chances are those places might have leftover pieces of random lengths
in their inventories.  They might be glad to get rid of them as they
take up space in their warehouses and there's little call for shorter
lengths unless it's for something that they happen to be working on.
The possibility of finding something suitable increase if wall
thickness isn't important.

You could contact a metal or pipe dealer as you might be required to
buy a full length (often 20 feet).  If you want to have a custom
length cut for you, there'll likely be a charge.  Then there's the
problem of how to get such a long piece of pipe home.

73s

Bernhard VA6BMJ @ DO33FL