Roof antenna caused damage

[bucky]

Chatting at a CG a few weeks ago got me curious. A fellow camper said just in passing that his wife was fussing because the radio reception was weak and he needed to get up on the roof and raise the antenna.
I've never really paid any attention to ours 'cause it is just there so to speak. So I got the ladder and went up to take a look. It turns out that ours is spring loaded, and as it has hit limbs etc over the years it has been slammed into the rubber roof. UH OH lots of little dimples that may or may not have been punctures about 1/16".
I also found a small tear nearby that wasn't there 3 weeks ago when I replaced a vent cover. Lucky timing going into the winter on that one. I had to order some eternabond for the 2 areas but in the interim it turns out that Gorilla duct tape will hold as an emergency patch even at speeds up to 50. Be careful pulling it off so you don't make the hole any bigger.
I tied the antenna in a knot to avoid any future damage and I'll probably just snip it off one day when the wind isn't blowing 30-40 like it was yesterday. It even blew the ladder down once.

[answerswillvary]

Moved from Campgrounds to Tech Issues

[DutchmenSport]

I've had 3 different TT's now, and all 3 have had the same same radio antenna, the spring loaded type. All 3 trailer, I've taken the antenna and angled it backwards some 45 degrees, so if driving under low hanging limbs, it will not flip so much. And I am always aware of my overhead clearance when backing into a campsite. I currently park my trailer under a tree, and am constantly cutting branches off, so am keenly aware of the antenna and clearance needed for the trailer.

[DrewE]

Hmmm...my (class C) has the radio antenna in the factory position on the fender, which I always thought was a bit silly because it can't extend all the way due to the cabover and wondered why they hadn't bothered to relocate it. I think I may be reevaluating my opinion.

Many cars these days use either a stubby or "shark-fin" style antenna on the roof, some of which have a built-in antenna amplifier. Maybe something like that would be effective enough and unlikely to cause roof damage. The trick would be finding a car that uses one and has a (locally) flat roof...or one close enough to being flat to work acceptably.

[wkswenson]

Prior rig had a Radio antenna on the roof. Over several years of that limb-hitting and such the antenna loosened up the base. Short story and long months without the rig. $12K later new interior ceiling, roof wood, rubber roof, etc and the water leak was fixed.