Aerials are often discussed on this forum and the reason seems to be that the Status 'flying saucer' S315 omni-directional aerial that is fitted to so many vans it totally useless. To improve things members have bought a selection of different external aerials and mounted them on a variety of different poles with or without signal amplifiers. This is a cheap and very efficient answer to the problem but the downside is that on every site you visit you have to assemble the contraption and make sure you can erect the pole without doing any damage to the van. It also has to be taken apart at the end of your stay and stowed away for the journey home.
Some members have gone down the satellite route and although this ensures digital picture quality, the same problem exist with regard to erection and storage.
Then Status invented the S530 directional aerial (now fitted as standard to a lot of new vans and available as a DIY upgrade on older vans) and things appear to have moved on by leaps and bounds. My Series 7 Pageant has an S530 and although I have done my fair share of tearing my hair out in the past, I am absolutely delighted with the new arrangement. Because it is directional and can be tilted through 90 degrees to ensure correct polarity, it seems to do a first class job. The great disadvantage is the cost, in terms of money and time to make the retro-fit. The great advantage is that it sits conveniently on the roof and you can forget about it.
This would be my preferred choice, but I bet the next 10 posts express at least a dozen different perspectives. But then, that's the beauty of this forum.
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