Carving up the roof..

[RichardT]

This weekend I've decided its time to cut holes in the roof to fit two small antennas, one either side. This will require 2 x 20mm holes to be cut and then cables fed through etc. Does anyone know what the autotrail roof construction was in 2008 ? I assume, because it can support my weight its plastic onto wood, then a cavity with insulation then the ceiling, but i'd rather it not be a voyage of discovery if anyone's done it before?

 

[Mikeco]

There will be some cables within the roof construction so if you can remove the inner layer first using a Forstner bit and them gently probe through the insulation it will save you trying to reconnect them. I drilled a hole straight through a Burstner roof a few years ago and went straight through two cables.

 

[pappajohn]

Does anyone know what the autotrail roof construction was in

There's every chance it will be a polystyrene core with a GRP outer skin and thin hardboard or cieling board on the inside.
Nobody seems to know where wires are run in the roof.... Even the manufactures are tight lipped.

 

[RichardT]

For anyone also doing this, my voyage of discovery revealed that the roof is plastic then plywood, then insulation, then more plywood which is the ceiling. There's about 16mm between the roof surface and the ceiling so its a deep cut. There are cables running so its worth taking it slow but its all do-able.

However, whilst up on the roof, I noticed it was peppered with puncture marks immediately aft of what was probably once a motorised satellite dish. I can only theorise as to how this happened, maybe the dish was left up and torn off by something, or maybe the installer had a mental break, who knows, but all these are plugged up too.