Name that thingamajig!!!

[badpaddler]

What is the strange tube like thingamabobber on the outside corner of my airstream?

[SlvrTwinkie]

I'm not positive but my guess is that is your antenna mast. I do know older trailers from the 60's and prior had those. My dad's 25' '72 Lark MH has one too, just doesn't look quite like yours though.

[ke6gkv]

that is part of the tv antenna. on the inside of your trailer is/was a small hand-crank that turns gears in the small box at the bottom of the shaft. this rotates the antenna. kurt

[ALUMINUMINUM]

That is a difficult part to find. It is an exclusive to 1967/68 antenna rotor. A rotor directional antenna is generally superior to omni-directional.

Yours is installed in the correct area, street-side front, but in an unusual configuration. It's most commonly installed with the gearbox between the two bushed brackets. I'd guess perhaps a California or Dealer install. The box at the bottom, I've never seen. Your trailer is pre-wired with 300 ohm TV flatwire, perhaps that's where it enters the cabin.

The rotor device can be restored. It's very simple inside the pot-cast aluminum housing. The Nylon bushings are easy to find. They're made by Heyco.

The corresponding interior cabin gearbox has a N-S-E-W pointer and is about 5”D, made from brown Bakelite. The entire gizmo is quite functional with today's Over The Air TV reception. Originally, a telescoping mast that had a folding VHF antenna fit into the tube that remains on yours. Today, you'd choose to mount a UHF antenna, and perhaps a YAGI WIFI.

It is a desirable, historical and functional part. Most of them were junked during the pre-digital and cable TV era, then patched over.


DEFINITELY A KEEPER!

[badpaddler]

Originally Posted by ALUMINUMINUM

That is a difficult part to find. It is an exclusive to 1967/68 antenna rotor. A rotor directional antenna is generally superior to omni-directional.

Yours is installed in the correct area, street-side front, but in an unusual configuration. It's most commonly installed with the gearbox between the two bushed brackets. I'd guess perhaps a California or Dealer install. The box at the bottom, I've never seen. Your trailer is pre-wired with 300 ohm TV flatwire, perhaps that's where it enters the cabin.

The rotor device can be restored. It's very simple inside the pot-cast aluminum housing. The Nylon bushings are easy to find. They're made by Heyco.

The corresponding interior cabin gearbox has a N-S-E-W pointer and is about 5”D, made from brown Bakelite. The entire gizmo is quite functional with today's Over The Air TV reception. Originally, a telescoping mast that had a folding VHF antenna fit into the tube that remains on yours. Today, you'd choose to mount a UHF antenna, and perhaps a YAGI WIFI.

It is a desirable, historical and functional part. Most of them were junked during the pre-digital and cable TV era, then patched over.


DEFINITELY A KEEPER!

Thanks! That is what I thought it was. The 67 has bracket and a hole I had to patch from one. This one I will just rebuild. Not even really concerned if it is functional or not.
Thanks,

Seth

[HiHoAgRV]

Our '63 and '61 have them in slightly different configurations. The old antennas work great on digital tvs

[badpaddler]

Originally Posted by HiHoAgRV

Our '63 and '61 have them in slightly different configurations. The old antennas work great on digital tvs

That is what the setup would have looked like on my 67. Not sure if we will have a TV in there or not, but I am definitely not planning on removing it now.

[cheetah1]

Originally Posted by badpaddler

Thanks! That is what I thought it was. The 67 has bracket and a hole I had to patch from one. This one I will just rebuild. Not even really concerned if it is functional or not.
Thanks,

Seth

Hi Seth. I just found this post and I'm hoping you can help me. I have that antenna set in my 68 Sovereign - but...! I have the 5" round rotor device that sits inside and it turns freely. I have that smaller (in your picture - upper) square gear box into which the shaft from the interior rotor goes. However, it is frozen solid and I swear the two screws were soldered in place! What did you need to do to open yours? And lastly, I do NOT have that larger rectangular box on the lower end of the shaft in your picture. Can you please tell me what is in that rectangular box? I'm guessing that's where the cable entered the trailer - but all I have now is a small 2' x 2" patch in that area. Can you please help me with a little information? Thank you, Chester

[cheetah1]

Originally Posted by ALUMINUMINUM

That is a difficult part to find. It is an exclusive to 1967/68 antenna rotor. A rotor directional antenna is generally superior to omni-directional.

Yours is installed in the correct area, street-side front, but in an unusual configuration. It's most commonly installed with the gearbox between the two bushed brackets. I'd guess perhaps a California or Dealer install. The box at the bottom, I've never seen. Your trailer is pre-wired with 300 ohm TV flatwire, perhaps that's where it enters the cabin.

The rotor device can be restored. It's very simple inside the pot-cast aluminum housing. The Nylon bushings are easy to find. They're made by Heyco.

The corresponding interior cabin gearbox has a N-S-E-W pointer and is about 5”D, made from brown Bakelite. The entire gizmo is quite functional with today's Over The Air TV reception. Originally, a telescoping mast that had a folding VHF antenna fit into the tube that remains on yours. Today, you'd choose to mount a UHF antenna, and perhaps a YAGI WIFI.

It is a desirable, historical and functional part. Most of them were junked during the pre-digital and cable TV era, then patched over.


DEFINITELY A KEEPER!

Hi Aluminuminum! You were kind enough to help me about 4 years ago when I needed to replace the gaskets on windows in my 68 Sovereign. I have finally moved to the exterior front of the trailer and am working on this antenna. I just found this post and I'm hoping you can help me. I have that antenna set in my 68 Sovereign - but...!!! I have the 5" round rotor device that sits inside and it turns freely. I have that smaller (in your picture - upper) square gear box into which the shaft from the interior rotor goes. However, it is frozen solid and I swear the two screws were soldered in place! What did you need to do to open yours (if you did so)? And lastly, there is something in your picture below and to the right of that gear box. I'm guessing that's where the cable entered the trailer - but all I have now is a small 2' x 2" patch in that area. Do you have a closeup picture of what goes there - or an idea of what I can use? I have attached a few pics of what I have. Can you please help me with a little information? Thank you, Chester

[ALUMINUMINUM]

Hi There,


After attempting every known method to remove screws, I drilled them out.

Inside the aluminum box it's a fairly primitive ring and pinion. There's nothing to prevent water intrusion. It's a surprisingly poor device, but it works. You can find the nylon bushings at a hardware store, eBay.

It was a lot of fuss, I bushed mine for a smaller diameter mast, ran a wifi cable for yagi antenna and TV coax inside the mast. The mast is one piece and removable. It's all working well now, but it was a challenge.

[cheetah1]

Thank you! Once last question - that cable connector is obviously what that patch on my trailer is covering up (since there is nothing there). Could you tell me the name of the product that you are using there please? Thank you again!

[ALUMINUMINUM]

The name of the product is “some junk that was laying around”. I drilled, sawed, and bent a scrap of .063 5052, so there was a rain visor over the two panel-mount cable connectors which came from a jarful of misc cable connectors. The wire nuts shown are employed only as dust-caps and have no other function.

If Airstream fitted a 300 ohm flat connector, can’t say but it may have been something similar in design to the TV outlet in your Central Control, or maybe a grommeted flat-wire?? If you fish around inside the hole, you may snag the old 300 Ohm flat-wire that goes to your Central Control. You might try to use that to carry a vintage signal.

I Elmered a cotton string onto a magnet to fish down and brought cables through with the waterpump wires.
The TV/FM cable goes to a 12V powered signal booster which has illuminated switch in the wall-mount co-ax outlet box by the TV.

The YAGI antenna has a smaller similar WIFI connector elsewhere. YAGI is good. Its direction is separately adjustable on the mast.

The black figure eight TV antenna is simply a stylized 4-bowtie FM antenna made to look like something for which you should pay $100. It doesn’t receive any better than tinfoil on rabbit ears if you could get ‘em that high in the air. I have room under the bed to store the 7 foot mast and antennas if I ever need them.

In all, it’s strait-forward, but tedious and time consuming.