Antenna mod - any ideas?

[RISK]

Hey gang,

I'm looking for input and ideas for what to do with the antenna. On the whole, we don't watch tv much, if at all and certainly not while camping. So there's this unused apparatus on my trailer (actually on two of my trailers) and I've narrowed it down to these options:

1) remove completely and patch. Surely someone else will get some use out of it. Maybe I'll pick up 1/10th of a MPG?
2) leave it alone and forget about it. Raise it only to wash or maintain the roof.
3) come up with a really cool idea like an adjustable solar panel/wifi booster/clothes drying rack/flag pole/water balloon launcher...

I've already been doing option 2, but options 1 & 3 have been on my mind.
The aerial on my Avion is one of those old timey ones with all the spines and such and would maybe benefit the aerodynamics if removed more so than the one on the AS.
I'm open to thoughts, suggestions and ideas no matter how crazy or boring.

Ian

[Rostam]

I could not crank up the antenna on my trailer, so I removed the antenna from the roof. I am thinking of buying a small antenna that does not require any cranking or aiming, but its not a top priority -- I have a wish list of about 60 items, so I have to prioritize them. I can only get to 5 to 10 items each year. I like the idea of water balloon launcher, or maybe a Nerf machine gun

[Razorback]

Here's my ideas:

1) Remove the entire contraption and send it to me. All I have left is the original Braund base, nothing else.
2) Find one of those .50 cal turrets from a Humvee.... THAT would look COOL!!!

I AM serious about #1, but if I put an antenna on our Avion, it might be one that picks up free channels, and it might be one of those round, automatic Winegard antennas.

I'm with you, though..... I don't watch TV much normally, and especially NOT when we're out in the Avion.

[RISK]

A couple years ago I wanted to watch the superBowl but didn't want to go anywhere and of course we just have a DVD player and some Apple TV dealie-bob. So I went to Radio Shack and bought a little powered antenna for around $12.
That thing gets far too many channels somewhere in the neighborhood of 50. Just grabs them out of the air. It hooks up with a coaxel cable so I assume it'd be a breeze to adapt to the onboard antenna on the trailer. Of course living near a city probably helps.

Unless I can tap into SETI with mine, you are welcome to it. Just not sure when I'll get to that project.

I like the turret idea, just need a smaller head.

Ian

[DenisB]

I was able to restore the original antenna on our 1975 LaGrand to working order. All it needed was new gears and some lubrication. The gears are still available from Braund. We bought a small HD TV and now we can usually get lots of local channels when ever we stop for the night while on the road.

[NO CONTROL]

I was fiddling with mine tonight pondering the same thing.

[silverloaf]

My antenna crank won't work either. I doubt the former owners used it. I'll probably take it down and store it.

My computer guru says traditional aluminum antennas were great for pulling signals out of free air.

Adding to the jocularity of previous comments, here are some other options:
1. Replace it with a periscope. Navy people will love this. A quick 360 look in the morning will tell you if its worth getting out of bed. Face it....a bad day in an Avion is many times better than a good day outside.
2. Replace it with a telescope. Wire it to a monitor and enjoy the beauty of our universe.
3. Replace it with a remote-controlled water cannon. Tailgaters will get a quick message to back off. But that begs a question: which holding tank should be used for its water supply?

Bob

[rogermimssandi]

Tried a clearchannel antenna in my daughters home. Impressed with performance. Mine just stopped cranking also. Will remove and repair cranking mechanism. Have removed original antenna. It originally worked poorly, turned out to be sun degradation of the cable to the antenna. Cut it off at roof and screwed an aluminum plate over the hole (with putty). Bought a 150 mile amplified antenna with remote pointing swivel feature. Worked great. Cheap - $40. Will mount it to original crank up assembly after I fix the assembly. If I was going to replace the antenna again, I would get a clear channel 2 or 4 and mount it to th original assembly. It would fold down flat and the rotation of the original base would let me point it anywhere.

[Razorback]

Thank you for the recommendation. I will check that out.

[KYAvion]

I was able to restore the original antenna on our 1975 LaGrand to working order. All it needed was new gears and some lubrication. The gears are still available from Braund. We bought a small HD TV and now we can usually get lots of local channels when ever we stop for the night while on the road.

I haven't done any maintenance on mine yet, although it seems to work fine. How much did you have to dismantle in order to grease the gears?