The first television aerial that I ever fitted was a VHF (405 line) dipole and five, in Stockwood Bristol. That was  in 1969.

At the time I was in partnership with a colleague. We had worked together for Granada Television Rental in a shop in Fishponds. He was the chief engineer and I was the showroom sales manager. We left Granada to start our own business together, repairing TVs, radios and anything electronic. We also started our own TV rental business. My part was to do the installations and fit aerials.   My partner stayed in the shop repairing televisions and radios.

Unfortunately this business did not last long due to a clash of personalities and arguments over money.

When the partnership was dissolved, I continued to install television and FM radio aerials on my own, and established my own TV rental business. I had previously enrolled at Brunel Technical College, on day release, to learn how to repair televisions. I also took up a contract with Debenhams departmental store in Bristol, installing all the radio grams, hi-fi systems, black and white and colour TV sets that they sold, setting them up in customers houses and installing radio and television aerials if required. In those days, setting up a colour television was sometimes quite a performance, often taking a long time to get the convergence correct. That problem disapeared with the demise of the cathode ray tube.

Based in Bristol, the area I covered included Gloucestershire, Somerset, parts of Wiltshire and South Wales.

Crossing the Severn Bridge in a van on a windy day is an experience that you never forget.

In 1978, with my wife and two young daughters I moved to Egloshayle Road in Wadebridge, and continued working as a self-employed TV repair man, TV renter, and aerial installer. We moved again in 1986 to our present address at Hoopers Bridge near Lanivet.

I  still install television aerials, satellite dishes, and since 1989, integrated reception systems,  but I ceased repairing television sets,  (other than my own rental sets), about 15 years ago.

I now work primarily as a subcontractor on behalf of Cornwall Housing, maintaining  the communal television aerial systems that were installed in council properties when Cornwall went fully digital in 2009.  I now advertise very little, just this website and a small ad in Yellow Pages, which produces the occaisional enquiry.  Most of my private work now comes from repeat business from  old customers, and from the contacts that I have made with people such as electricians, builders, and estate agents over the past 30 years.

I am a Registered Digital Installer, but gave up my membership of the Confederation of Aerial Industries many years ago.

I got exasperated by people ringing me up, from miles away, at all hours of the day and night asking technical questions about motorised satellite systems, simply to pick my brains free of charge, without any intention of employing me to do any work. When someone from Barnstaple or Penzance rings you for the umpteenth time at 10 PM on a Sunday evening and starts a conversation by saying "I'm sorry to bother you at this time of night, but the bloke who fitted it won't come back from London to fix it". That is when you know it's time to discontinue membership.

If you are looking for information regarding any aspect of television aerial work, whether it's a price for the installation of a new aerial, or the solution to a problem with an existing system, (domestic or commercial), I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.

I have over 30 years of local experience in this trade, and in that time I have been down just about every road, street, lane and farm track within a 15 mile radius of Wadebridge or Bodmin. The probability is that I have fitted a television aerial or satellite dish very close to where you are so I have a comprehensive knowledge of reception conditions over a considerable area.

My contact details are as follows.

Home address is:-

 The Mill,
Hooper's Bridge,
Lanivet,
Bodmin
PL30 5LW
Telephone 01208 831266
Freephone number 0800 0744201
Mobile 07957 823656
Email rodney@uwclub.net

I have added a few photographs of installations that I have initiated or worked on over the years.

If you want to have a look at them click here.

I am not registered for VAT

The price that I quote is the price that you pay.