Removing a Status 530 TV aerial.... anyone done it?

[Bruchel]

Hello Funsters.
I'm about to fit a solar panel, and need to remove the TV aerial. I plan to use the existing hole that the pole slides through for my solar cables, BUT...... I'm slightly bemused by the strange lunar eclipse shaped blanking disk that adjoins the existing aerial. (photos attached - not my handiwork!!). There's no sign of any previous hole internally....
Has anyone seen anything similar, and if so, what am I likely to find when I start removing it?
I'm thinking that I probably need to get a sheet of aluminium or PVC to Sika over the entire area, so that I can then fit a box with grommets for my solar cables...
Obviously I need to have everything to hand before I start, and would like as few surprises as possible!!
If anyone has had a similar experience, I'd love to know how you got on. (Pictures would be really great!! )
Thanks all.

 

[Off da Grid]

When I took ours off there was a small hole just large enough for the coax to go through, and 4 holes were the self tapping screws were sunk into the roof, can’t remember if there was much sealant though.
I enlarged the hole and using silkaflex mounted a plastic junction box with a hole in the bottom on top of it, my solar and other cables then feed into the box running in flexible conduit.
I put the self tappers back in the 4 holes with large plastic caps on them covered in a generous amount of silkaflex.
Been up there for nearly 4 years and still sound.
Too wet for pics at this time sorry

 

[pappajohn]

Someone's either made a cock up installing and had to reposition (measure twice, drill once) or its had one removed before.
It's NOT supposed to be there.

 

[autorouter]

When I first got the current MH, it had a TV aerial, mounted on an aluminium pole that went through the roof, and the wire was routed through the pole. I removed the aerial, and covered the big hole with a circular plate sold for this purpose. It looks just like the one in your picture, except it is circular.

I recently removed the plate to fit a Poynting antenna for the mifi router. The antenna covered the centre hole and a couple of the outer holes. I filled the remaining screw holes with Sikaflex sealant. I think you may find a similar hole, about 30mm diameter, under that circular plate.

 

[tonyidle]

I suspect the plate is covering a hole for a previous installation - maybe a manually operated satellite dish. I'd plate the whole area with 2mm aluminium then position your box as you wish.

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[Stealaway]

I suspect the plate is covering a hole for a previous installation - maybe a manually operated satellite dish. I'd plate the whole area with 2mm aluminium then position your box as you wish.

My Burstner dealer managed to fit the aerial to my brand new van in the wrong place.
They fitted it in a cupboard above the fridge that wasn't deep enough to drop it down completely. Plus I couldn't even reach it without a stool.
What a set of clowns.
They did fit a neat watertight cover and gave me a good discount.

 

[Bruchel]

Thanks all. I suspect pappajohn has hit the nail on the head with the measure twice, cut once adage. Looking at where the pole is internally, I suspect that's what happened. The blanked hole would have come down right where the wall of the wardrobe is, and whoever did it possibly realised before they went all the way with the 30mm hole cutter!

autorouter ours is exactly that - the cable is inside the pole, and the pole extends up through the roof (as per attached photo)

Thanks to tonyidle for the 2mm Aluminium suggestion. I feel a trip to B&Q is on the cards.

I have about 10 days to get it done, so I'll maybe post pics when it's finished. (maybe, depending on how pleased I am with it If there's no pics, it might mean I've bodged it temporarily and will have to find a pro to make good!!!! )

 

[Gellyneck]

Only thing I would add is it might be worthwhile considering when drilling the new hole through your "repair" to make it the size of an appropriate piece of conduit (if the cable will fit through) that you leave projecting up from the roof inside your grommet box. Seal this into the roof \ box with your Sikaflex as this upstand will give added water ingress protection if the box were to develop a minor leak.
In addition, if the conduit is big enough and you fit a box something like this https://www.toolstation.com/junction-box-ip65/p99418 it would give you the opportunity to "add" additional cables through the same hole. Might not be a sensible option for you but maybe worth a thought?

 

[Manic]

I think it probably had one of fixed status 315 aerial which has a small cable hole and previous owner has had to move it to make room for the pole.

 

[Bruchel]

Only thing I would add is it might be worthwhile considering when drilling the new hole through your "repair" to make it the size of an appropriate piece of conduit (if the cable will fit through) that you leave projecting up from the roof inside your grommet box. Seal this into the roof \ box with your Sikaflex as this upstand will give added water ingress protection if the box were to develop a minor leak.
In addition, if the conduit is big enough and you fit a box something like this https://www.toolstation.com/junction-box-ip65/p99418 it would give you the opportunity to "add" additional cables through the same hole. Might not be a sensible option for you but maybe worth a thought?

Yeah, I’ve seen a YouTube video of a
guy that did just that. He drilled a hole to suit a short section of rigid conduit which then fitted very snuggly through the hole and protruded about 15mm above the roof. He then sealed with sika around that, added the junction box over (with more sika) and cables went through the trailing edge with waterproof grommets.
Just need a couple of rain free days in a row now!!! (also have a Poynting Puck and a Supergain Ballade TV aerial to fit )

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[Bruchel]

The results are in... Looks like there was indeed a small hole (7mm perhaps), slightly off to one side, together with fixing holes for a previous aerial.
Anyway, that's all gone now, and I have the Ballade instead, together with my Poynting Puck in place, and the (nearly finished) aluminium sheet with an IP65 junction box over (I realise its no longer rated IP65 since I've cut 3 holes in it!!)
Should finish it off tomorrow and I'll stick the final pictures up when I'm done.
Turns out that taking a hole cutter to the roof wasn't nearly as traumatic as I'd imagined it would be!
(I can say that at the moment as it's not raining!)
Thanks for all your help Funsters.

 

[Bruchel]

Oh, and I now have a Status 530 TV aerial for sale!!!
(The amplifier bit the dust, but you can buy replacements)

 

[Gellyneck]

The results are in... Looks like there was indeed a small hole (7mm perhaps), slightly off to one side, together with fixing holes for a previous aerial.
Anyway, that's all gone now, and I have the Ballade instead, together with my Poynting Puck in place, and the (nearly finished) aluminium sheet with an IP65 junction box over (I realise its no longer rated IP65 since I've cut 3 holes in it!!)
Should finish it off tomorrow and I'll stick the final pictures up when I'm done.
Turns out that taking a hole cutter to the roof wasn't nearly as traumatic as I'd imagined it would be!
(I can say that at the moment as it's not raining!)
Thanks for all your help Funsters.

Oh deary me! You've forgotten to tighten down one of the screws in the IP65 box!

Looks an excellent job.