How to Bird Proof your TV antenna
There is a good old saying in the industry that birds are good for business!
The sad news is; there is practically no way to stop birds roosting on your TV antenna. They will find a way one way or another. There are dozens of fantastic ideas that creative people have come up with but none that are worth the time, effort or expense. What you really need is a bird proof antenna.
Reasons why people want to stop birds roosting on the TV Antenna
- The bird business – Birds poo on your roof, your foot path, freshly painted tiles or colour bond or worse
- Breaking the elements of your antenna which effects your TV signal and digital TV reception
- Solar Panel damage – solar panels are becoming more and more popular and if your TV antenna is in the wrong position the roosting birds will poo on and effect the performance of your solar panels.
What is this bird proof antenna you speak of?
The TV Magic Hybrid antenna is a bird proof antenna to an extent. It completely stops birds breaking the elements effecting TV reception. It however does not stop them from roosting on top of it. The shaft is made of very strong aluminium and has no plastic parts that heavy birds such as IBIS and COCKATOOS will easily break elements of antennas that are held with plastic moulds.
What others have tried to stop birds roosting all together
The Ziptie method.
Approximate 3 hours is spent putting close to 1400 zipties around each and every single element the entire length so that there is no real comfort for the birds to sit. This does work but for 1. For 14 packets of 100 zipties is $140 and secondly the plastic of the zipties last only approximately 12 months in the sun before they become brittle and start to fall off. Now you have plastic rubbish in your gutters.
The 'Scary' Cat /Crow method.
Many aa people have tried mounting a plastic, wooden ‘scare tactic’ like a cat on the antenna. Birds are just too smart of this. They learn that it’s not real and can smell that it’s not real – You’ll have birds roosting on your antenna within a week
The fake snake method.
This has the same effectiveness as the fake cat method. In fact we silicone a fake snaked onto the elements of an antenna we installed (as insisted by the customer who went out and bought one) and we were literally coming back down the ladder and a bird was on there before I had even finished the job!
The electric bird deterant
There are some $100ish battery powered ‘flower shaped’ gadgets that are specifically designed to stop roosting birds. They have a small current (very small voltage) designed not to kill the bird but deter it from roosting or landing on the TV antenna. These are actually quite effective but we hear that the battery needs replacing every 2-3 months. So if you’re prepared to get up on the roof every 2-3 months then go for it!
Not a practical solution in our eyes.
So there you have it. It’s why the saying stands in the industry. Birds are good for business. You really do want to try the TV Magic Hybrid. It is designed and features no plastic joins that become brittle and break from roosting birds. In fact the elements are deliberately designed to be too thin for birds claws to hold on to the elements preventing the large birds from breaking the elements of our antenna. It lives up to the claim of being a Bird Proof TV Antenna more than anything else on the market.
