Our trailer came with a roof mounted radio antenna that looked like a white plastic pizza floating a foot above the trailer on a plastic stalk. We don't have a television, and the radio that came with the trailer is useless. But I was worried about a tree branch on some remote forest road getting hooked under the pizza and making a huge hole in my roof. I have always wanted to remove the pizza -- a terrible design -- but I was afraid of messing around with the roof. Yesterday, pulling the trailer down my own street after coming home from the shop, guess what -- the pizza got hooked on a neighbor's tree that extended out over the street. The pizza popped off and clattered onto the pavement. After all that boondocking, this did not happen on a forest road -- on my own street! Not in a rainstorm! With all of my hardware and tools at hand! Lucky! Today, I got out my big ladder and climbed up -- no real damage to the trailer's roof, thankfully. I drastically shortened the plastic "stalk" that was still attached to the roof -- easy to do with a hacksaw. I caulked the little hole where the cable comes through the roof. I sealed the top opening in the stalk with a liberal application of gorilla tape. The radio works as well as it ever did, which is not saying much.Best yet, I no longer have to worry about that darn antenna on those sketchy forest roads!!The best disasters are those that happen conveniently.

Hi,Great that it didn't cause you lots of grief. I consider my antenna a waste of space and money.

I thought it might have been a crank up antenna. Good that you were close to home....ladder and tools nearby. Great story.....

My dream is to custom order our next rv. No roof A/C, no antenna, no domes. Clean roof. Who needs all those headaches when I don't watch tv and I can't stand the noise of the air conditioner. Good riddance I say!

Hope you keep the RV forever but it's possible that you might have to replace it if you ever decide to sell it.

Good news -- a tree branch ripped off my antenna

20 Replies

Muddydogs
Explorer
Jul 27, 2015
profdant139 wrote:
Isn't 50 caliber what the special operations snipers use? Just sayin . . . .

Thank goodness you were riding an up-armored ATV!

Yes they do but a .50 caliber muzzleloader isn't the same as a .50 caliber center fire rifle. The rifle produces way more energy then the muzzy. If it would have been a .50 cal rifle they would have collected the insurance money.
profdant139
Explorer II
Jul 27, 2015
Isn't 50 caliber what the special operations snipers use? Just sayin . . . .

Thank goodness you were riding an up-armored ATV!
Muddydogs
Explorer
Jul 27, 2015
Ya I think a hunting buddy was in cahoots with the wife for insurance money, luckily the old ATV took the hit. A jacketed pistol bullet out of a .50 cal muzzy at less then 10 feet does a little damage to an ATV, glad I didn't find out what kind of damage it would do to me.
profdant139
Explorer II
Jul 26, 2015
Muddy, I left vent holes when I patched the top of the vent pipe -- no odor.

A bullet hole on your ATV?? Yikes! It sounds like you ride in some really rough territory!
Muddydogs
Explorer
Jul 26, 2015
profdant139 wrote:
Muddy, I gave that option some serious thought. And then decided to wait and see. There is a pipe on my roof that I think is the sewer vent -- it had a plastic cap that flew off on our first trip. I "replaced" it with a carefully built cap of gorilla tape. Three years and thirty thousand miles later, it's still going strong. So I used the same half-baked technique. If it fails, I will have to do it the right way.

You know the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." My motto is, "If it ain't really broke, don't really fix it."

I have to ask, do you get a stink when you flush your toilet? With the black tank vent sealed with tape I would think you would.

I have the same stupid saucer antenna which doesn't seem to work at all. Like most I don't watch the TV much and if I do its a movie on a cold rainy night.

The gorilla tape is good stuff, used it to patch up a bullet hole on my ATV from last season.
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Jul 26, 2015
Well I'm glad that 1 or 2 people out of thousands doesn't have a need for an antenna! :R

My antenna sits flat on the roof, but I still watch out for low hanging branches.......I like to keep my A/C!
gmw_photos
Explorer
Jul 25, 2015
Dan, I agree, that stupid flying saucer antenna is nearly useless as an antenna.
And yes, the plastic vent next to it is the vent stack for the commode.
chr_
Explorer
Jul 25, 2015
Yeah, that stupid TV antenna takes up space I could use for a fourth 130 watt solar panel. Its gonna come off soon...
rbpru
Explorer II
Jul 25, 2015
Yup, if you do not use it why have it.

That is why I do not have a generator and other never leave without it.

My radio uses the TV antenna for FM and a separate antenna for AM. The AM was never installed.
Mr__Camper
Explorer
Jul 25, 2015
Actually it's the NSA.