Nigel Hutson shows you how to upgrade your TV aerial for top-quality viewing
KNOW-HOW // CARAVAN DIY
AFTER I REWIRED the connectors and put them into the correct places when our caravan was new, we never really had any issues with the performance of the Status omnidirectional TV antenna. That was more than 20 years ago.
My parents owned that van for many years, and it became clear that the original antenna didn’t perform as well as the latest directional ones. So when Vision Plus offered me one of their Status 570s to fit, it was an opportunity too good to be missed.
Check the roof profile
The caravan was a 1999 Abbey GTS 215, so I had concerns that I would be unable to fit the antenna vertically – the van has a curved roof profile. “Not a problem,” I was told by Vision Plus, and an angle-adjustable roof mount was produced to replace the standard one. This caters for angles up to 15 degrees. I was also given a special blanking plate, which fits directly over where the old omnidirectional antenna would be removed.
In fitting the new antenna, I went against the best advice given by Vision Plus. They advise, where possible, to fit the antenna on the offside of the van to avoid possible damage when travelling.
However, that would involve major rewiring of the caravan, so it was almost a direct replacement for the original, which had in fact done many thousands of touring miles without incident.
Before fitting, the first thing to do is to ensure the caravan is as level as possible. It’s hard to gauge vertical otherwise!
Next, remove the old TV antenna. The coaxial cable needs to be undone from the old amplifier and any cable fasteners removed. Two 2.5mm grub screws, which secure the antenna to its base, need to be released using an allen key. Once they’re released, the whole antenna should lift out of its base, together with the coaxial cable.
The next job – removing the original mount – was probably the most difficult part of the whole operation. After prising out ancient sealant from the screw holes, remove the four cross-head screws that hold the mount to the roof.
Our mount had been really well sealed to the roof, but with some careful use of scrapers, it did eventually come off.
Clean and prepare
The next step is to clean away all of the old sealant. When the roof is clean, after putting ribbon-type sealant around the new blanking plate, it is screwed to the roof in the same holes that secured the old antenna. Trim off excess sealant.
The old amplifier was then removed from within the overhead locker, but the 12V supply
