Antenna Maintenance

[northwindone]

On our last camping trip the antenna did want to crank up. I finally got it to go up, but in the process I cracked the crank handle and it eventually fell off releasing the rest of the stuff from the crank (spring, rotation handle) onto the kitchen floor. I lowered it before we left with vice-grips (I always carry a good amount of tools). I actually use it all the time at home as I let the kids watch PBS Kids while I'm tinkering with stuff on the TT. (It's a treat for them since we only have streaming services in the house and they actually get to watch brand new episodes ) Usually at home it stays up all the time and I only put it down when we are leaving on a trip. I've noticed it has been getting harder and harder to raise the last few months.

I'm already planning on buying a replacement handle, but I don't think the PO left any documentation for the Winegard Antenna. What is the best way to service the antenna so it goes up and down smoothly once again? Nothing else is broken, it's just really stubborn, other than that it still works great. I'm sure I could easily find documentation and stuff online, but sometimes real world experience is better than any service manual.

[M&A]

Remembering from my manual (not with me at the moment), use a silicon spray twice yearly on the exposed worm gear at the antenna base. Easy to see once you are on top. Seems there was a note about not using any non-silicon (like WD-40) due to the seals.

[DocBrown]

Twice yearly yes, but my manual doesn't specify what lubricant to use. I just squirt a couple of drops of good old fashioned oil on the gear.

[Grumpy]

Problem with oil type products they collect dirt.

[norty1]

Once you get the handle replaced.
They recommend yearly spraying the exposed gears in the roof with a spray of silicone. Also there is a small plastic plug on the upper housing, (roof) that you remove and spray a squirt of silicone into it annually to lube the seal that keeps it from leaking.

You can get all this info from the Winegard website.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f53/wineg...nce-98159.html

[abarkl]

The handle if not broken is easy to put back in place after the plastic washer and spring are in place. The handle is then secured with a really small torx screw to the shaft.
We apply a white grease to the worm gear (roof side) as mentioned twice a year.

[thomasmnile]

I use a food grade silicone spray (manufactured by CRC) on the antenna mechanism, the slide seals, slide mechanism, even the window tracks on our WhiteHawk. Seems to work fine, doesn't attract grit and goo. Readily available at Fastenal.

[norty1]

The handle is available at most any rv supplier.

[northwindone]

Thanks for the advice all. The handle actually cracked so I will need to replace it, found it for $8 with free shipping. I see the rest of the replacement parts are fairly inexpensive as well, so that's good to know. I need some silicone for some other stuff as well, so I'll give that a try. I quit using WD-40 years ago as all it does is attract dust and isn't even that great of lubricant.

[North of 49°]

Ours was getting difficult to adjust, and lubing it was on my "to-do" list. Once I actually got around to doing it, I thought for a moment that I had broken it because I could move it around with very little effort. Now I know what I was missing all these years. I just used white spray grease.

And yes, the handle just attaches with the set screw; easy to fix once you know how.

[northwindone]

I was able to take care of it over the past weekend. It is so easy to move up and down now, even the cracked handle has no problems with it. While I was up there I found that it needs a new cable boot though and the sealant needs some attention.