Roof Antenna

Homebase antenna advice and troubleshooting
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daveharrod
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Hi fokes.

Im wanting to mount my 5/8 wave silver rod higher than it is currently- i had previously bolted it to a fance post in the garden to check out new radio (MAAS DX 5000) after returning to the air waves following abotu 15 years out.

Im 15 years older than i was back in the day and have 3 kids so i dont feel like i would want to be climibing up a ladder to the eaves- and also dont want to be paying out 80 odd quid for a local tradesman to fit the antenna for me, i also want to be able to have acces to the antenna and its co-ax fitting etc in case i want to change cables etc etc.

So i thought about the following...

I can get into loft dead easily- the house is about 10 years old and has a nice loft ladder and boards / lights in the loft.

i thought about drilling a hole on a roof tile once in the loft (very easy to reach- about head height) just slightly bigger in diametre than the fattest part of the antennas tubing- would obviously use correct drill bits / speed etc.

Then sliding the antenna through the hole in roof tile leaving the bottom foot or so inside the loft- the bit where it mounts etc and the radials and sealing up around the very small gaps around the hole.

Then making supports off the many bits of wood work in the loft to hold securely antenna in place using its correct mounting plate.

As far as i can see the only problems i can see with this are- damage made to the roof tile- and the possible ingress of water however i feel that if sealed properly this wouldnt be a problem- if the antenna would be removed completely in future then it could be sealed more permanantely ie with sand and cement

Also im wondering how much work the bottom foot or so of the antenna actually does?? Seeing as this would be mounted inside the loft

I do feel this is a good way forward for me- it fits with the ability to get to the bottom end of the antenna very easily- would be easier to change antenna if i ever got pennies together for something like an Antron 99 or whatever.

Can you guys see any problems from the tx / rx point of view with the bottom foot of antenna being in loft ?? Thats my main concern really and feel i am more than willing to drill the roof tile and risk that side of things.

Many thanks

Dave H
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stampman
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you are definitely bored to eve think about putting a hole in the roof (periscope type of mounting) bite the bullet and fit it to the chimney your self hire a ladder and a cat ladder the job is dead easy . if you go through the roof the you will get antenna sway when the wind gets up and that could give you a problem with sealing if it comes down to it you could put a tower up in the back yard but its a lot more expensive hope this helps a bit


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daveharrod
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This is why I like forums so much , excellent way of sharing ideas and problems.

I had not thought of the antenna swaying at all , do you think it would sway at the bottom ? The thickest part of the tubing.

If I was to over come this problem do you think it would work ok ?
Marruis
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seriously mate don't go drilling holes i your roof the tubing will let water in and the whole thing will sway in the wind er a wall mount or a scaffolding pole and a couple of bags of postcreat.

Get a 6 ft pole and dig a 3 ft deep hole and concrete the pole in it and wait for a couple of days till it drys properly then get a much larger pole, whatever height you want the base of your antenna to be at and a couple of fixing brackets , these swivel in the middle to allow easy positioning, this will allow you to take the antenna down easily to fix and adjust your swr.

This would be the cheapest way to get an antenna up other than mounting of a wall bracket, or fixing to the chimney.

What ever you do please don't drill holes in your roof, it's not a great idea.
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stampman
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daveharrod
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That makes sense guys , I did kinda think that anyway but was clutching at straws in a way to see if could avoid going up ladder , lazy me hey !

Have just collected said ladder from sisters so now I'll pluck up the courage to climb the damn thing and get it done .
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chazwozza
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Wouldn't waste my money on all that crap
just buy a telescopic pole and mount antenna on said pole
raise and lower as needed
with an added bonus of always being able to work on your antenna plus it
keeps it neighbour friendly
Fixing is simple get a 6 foot scaff pole concrete that 3ft into the ground then using 2 scaff clamps attach the telescopic pole to that you can then if you want lower the whole lot fully horizontal
just undo the top clamp and swivel to lower position on the bottom clamp
daveharrod
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That's it I'm saving for a Tele pole or to build a fold down mast.... prefer to make my own stuff.


For now I have fired the welder up and made a nice stand off bracket out of inch Angle Iron that was laying in garage , painted it and got up ladder and mounted it up the eaves today. I know it's solid because I managed to hang and swing my 16 stone off it - never budged .

Next job mount antenna to newly painted 10 foot pole , set swr then mount to bracket. Will finish it tomorrow


Total cost, one welding rod and four metal wall bolts,

Speak to some of ya soon hopefully
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stampman
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get it right and you could market it through thunderpole with andy as a partner


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daveharrod
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ITS a bit heath Robinson but it's up and doing the job.
It won't 've coming down in a hurry that's for sure


Right off to the shack to see who's on the airwaves.
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stampman
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as long as it works its fine beauty is in the eye of beholder


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MichaelKal
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I have been wanting to do something like this. I was seriously considering getting the OEM antenna on the roof but didn't know which one to get and this helps out a lot.

I currently have the OEM Sirius tuner and a single lead small micro satellite radio antenna. I must say that I get some pretty bad reception. I think I'm going to go with the submarine style antenna and put it one the roof of my B5 S4

Also, if you could find out any information on the new antenna that goes on the new A4/S4 cabrio that supposed to be hidden in the rear deck lid. That would be a nice piece of info
Sport nutrition here: https://www.sportzfuel.com/
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AppleTree
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I just have my iMax2000 bolted to the side of the bungalow... Works alright I think, I didn't trust the chimney it's been up there since 1956, might be a bit crispy lol.

I have a back up silver rod on a pole in the garden :D
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