News

So far this winter I have been called out to more TV Aerials that have come down or been dislodged by the successive storms we've recently experienced than I have in the last five or so preceding winters, all combined.

Although it may seem strange to read the following but the vast majority of Aerials that I've attended to this winter have in fact not been downed because of the ferocity of the wind (although this has been a contributing factor) but mostly due to poor workmanship and or the choice of materials during the TV Aerials initial installation.

As with every winter there are always going to be the odd Aerial that doesn't quite make it through, this year has been no exception as I've seen 2 or 3 Aerials that have made it well past their 40th birthday only then to have Abigail, Frank or one of their siblings deliver the final blow. Most of the other TV Aerials that have succumb to this winters storms and have come down were relatively new installations, almost all having been installed over the past 2 to 15 years.

Out of the couple of dozen other downed TV Aerials I've attended to, many if not all of them have similar installation faults in common which have then contributed to their receiving capabilities and lives being cut short.

Aluminium poles snapping at the bracket has perhaps been thee most common problem I've seen this winter. I've never been a fan of aluminium poles and to date I've never used one, always preferring a good quality steel pole which will normally last in excess of 40 years.

The second most common problem I've seen with these downed Aerials is the combination of an under sized (diameter wise) aluminium pole coupled with a super high gain, heavy weight Digital Aerial.

The third problem I've encountered this winter has been the quite common but poor practice of over loading an existing good TV Aerial installation by placing another TV Aerial part way down the pole, this is often done when a customer requests an additional TV point in another room. There are 2 or 3 different options for supplying additional TV's with signal but this (expensive) one is not one of them and for reasons stated above, is best avoided.

So in conclusion - As I've often said here on my website, over the phone and face to face, it really doesn't matter how good the equipment may be or how much it may cost it's the individual installer that holds the key as to the longevity of any TV Aerial installation.

Click on the collage above to enlarge and view just a few of the TV Aerial installations I've attended to this winter.