TV aerial versus pigeons

Savannah02K

Possibly a stupid question but neither of us are tecky minded. Having moved house couple of years ago and having an on the outside wall tv aerial, we're now being plagued by local pigeons using the thing as a roost. Very early in the morning, every morning. The aerial is the outside wall of our bedroom and what sounds like a 20 stone pigeon landing on it at 5.30 am doesn't arf make you wake up with a start. Then it's open house (or open aerial) for every bird for the rest of the morning so it's impossible to get back to sleep. We think we've now got a couple of local owls hitting the aerial in the night too as we've been woken up in the middle of the night with the same noise but no pigeon coo-ing. We're also having to jetwash the slabs underneath every week because of the mess. Is it possible to arrange for an inside aerial that will do the same job of reception? We had cable at other house ............ And any idea of how much it would cost to get it checked to see if we can have inside aerial and then get one installed?

kwikbreaks

Aerials in the roofspace can work but only if you have a strong enough local signal as there is some attenuation from passing through the roof material and it will almost certainly be lower than one mounted on a pole.

The sort or aerials on peoples rooves around you may give you some idea but it seems the trend is to use monsters even if not needed as the actual aerial cost is a fairly small percentage of the installation charge and people think they have had their monies worth if the thing put up looks like it could probably get a signal from across the Atlantic.

If you are not capable of moving the aerial into your loft yourself I'm sure a local installer would give you a free quote.

welshee

Tie a couple of carrier bags to the aerial that might stop them.

elektra

http://www.birdstop.co.uk/tv_aerial_bird_spikes_kit.asp

the kit is cheap, attaching it in place another matter !

shaun_from_Africa

elektra wrote: »

http://www.birdstop.co.uk/tv_aerial_bird_spikes_kit.asp

the kit is cheap, attaching it in place another matter !

As the OP stated that their aerial is wall mounted, it might not be too difficult or expensive to get someone to fit the kit that you suggested.
A chimney mounted aerial on anything higher than a bungalow often needs specialist ladders, but provided that the one in question isn't too high it might be easy enough to get to.

[Deleted User]

Savannah02K wrote: »

And any idea of how much it would cost to get it checked to see if we can have inside aerial and then get one installed?

A lot more than buying an aerial and trying it. I put one in the loft myself because it was cheaper than getting the one on the chimney replaced. I'm about 15 miles from the transmitter, with an unobstructed view toward it, and the signal strength indicator on the TV is off the top of the scale.

John_Gray

If you could electrify the TV aerial, then any bird putting one leg on the aerial and the other on the ground would get a nasty shock...

usefulmale

Not very environmentally friendly, but if you shoot any bird that lands on the aerial, you will soon find that all birds will avoid your aerial.

Im my mis-spent youth, I shot at birds in the garden with an air rifle, and very soon, you couldn't get them into the garden, however much bread you put out. It took years for the birds to return.

elektra

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

As the OP stated that their aerial is wall mounted, it might not be too difficult or expensive to get someone to fit the kit that you suggested.

Oops - I missed that bit:o

Owain_Moneysaver

The problem is pigeons and owls, not ostriches.

kwikbreaks

John_Gray wrote: »

If you could electrify the TV aerial, then any bird putting one leg on the aerial and the other on the ground would get a nasty shock...

I think any bird that could do that might be worth a few bob if captured so make sure you don't apply a lethal voltage...