how do I keep radio signal??

[CampUnger]

Today we started detailing the exterior of our AS. It's the first time we have attempted this in the 2 years we have owned it, mostly because time has not allowed it (we had a daugher 3 days after we drove 16 hours to get it and between that, remodeling our house and my husbands parents house as well, I'm not sure where the time has gone). She shines up great, but this is gonna take a few days as we have to remove the old seals and will reseal them after the bath is done. Part of this process is to do a water leak test before the seals are removed and fix the ones we know exist (this all started as I tried to update the interior and found a rotten floor under the gaucho...uuuggghhh....the new floor will go back in when we know we have fixed that leak).

Our 79 Land Yacht has the original antenna. We are wanting to remove it and apply an aluminum patch over the hole. The current site leaks like crazy and I have to keep a bucket under it 24/7. In regards to the TV we take a small dvd/tv player, weather we get on the phones internet or radio, and we have a weather alert radio we keep on at night. An antenna for the TV is not necessary, however we really enjoy having the radio. Our radio is also original with the 8 track player (yeah, we keep some of those handy as well just for fun and nostalgia) and we have no plans on replacing it. I am wanting to find a way to keep a radio signal and be able to remove the antenna. Do I need to install something else? It would be nice to have internet on the laptop at times too so is there something that could combing the two options?
ANYTHING you could offer would be helpful.

We don't want to attempt this until we know what were going to do to keep the radio antenna.

[Aage]

Hiya, CampUnger!

Not clear why you don't just replace the 33-year-old exterior antenna and especially the seals it has, and continuing to enjoy radio reception. The seals and caulking job are doubtless dried up and cracked which is why you need to keep a bucket under the opening.

That type of antenna is easily available still today, and if you take the usual care in replacing it (and use some Tempro/Vulkem to seal the hole) , I predict you will get another 30 years of good performance out of it.

In any event, to get good radio reception you must have an external antenna, since your all-aluminum Airstream makes a wonderful Faraday cage, which effectively stops radio-frequency waves from reaching the inside of the trailer in an acceptable manner.

Plus, those external antennas look toadly cool!

[Aage]

ps: don't forget to attach a hardy string to the end of the old antenna lead so that as you pull the old antenna wire out through the shell, you will still have a simple means to pull the new lead back through!