Quote: Originally posted by Windrush owner on 09/8/2015
... so I think I will look into the status aerial as I want everything to be as hastle free as possible when we get on site.
That's pretty much why I chose the fitted aerial too. The Status aerials aren't the cheapest, but for convenience and ease of use, I was happy to go with mine (I also bought it during a dealers special which gave a favourable price). The 550/560 have been superseded, so it's possible these are being reduced to clear now. Of the two, the short mast 550 is the easiest to fit and can be installed pretty much anywhere in the van. The 560 has a much longer mast, so can only really be installed above a wardrobe (for example), but careful measurement must be made as the mast has to be a certain distance from a supporting wall, due to the use of an additional fixing clamp.
My current Swift has the standard 550 fitted and this works very well. In the great scheme of things, the amount of height gained by using the 560 isn't significant.
As mentioned above by morepints, the 550 amplifier does have a signal LED built in, but in my opinion the operation of this is too vague; a proper meter highlights the centre point of direction better.
Thanks for all your help and info, I had always intended to fit the aerial above the wardrobe as the other side of the wardrobe wall is where the TV sits and has an aerial socket there so getting the cable to it would be easier.
------------- 1st stop Brands Hatch
2nd stop Thruxton
Last Stop Brands Hatch
Next Stop Bournemouth Air Show
If you plan on getting the longer mast 560 (and that's the lowest price I've ever seen in my earlier link), then you might find it useful to make yourself familiar with the installation beforehand, just to be happy with positioning and the location for the hole.
I calculated the positioning of mine from within the van and then made a pilot hole from the inside, straight through to the outside, then used a hole cutter to cut from the outside while using pilot hole as centering guide. Not as horrendous as it sounds.
The installation guide for the 550 (same aerial really), can be found by clicking here.
Hi Patesy, if you go for the vision plus 560, it comes with the standard vertical mounting sleeve, for flat roofed vans, if your van has a sloped roof above your wardrobe, you will require the sloped roof mounting sleeve, this will be in addition to the aerial, sloped mounting sleeve kit £28.99. fitting instructions for standard vertical sleeve differ from the sloped mounting sleeve. The 50mm hole is same, but the distance from caravan wall is 65mm, instead of the 50mm for standard vertical mounting, the extra 15mm is to accommodated the tapered washer and locking plate.
Got mine from the caravan shop in Glasgow. £130 for both aerial and kit.
Hope that’s of help to you.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Tv/radio aerial
