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We've lived in our 100+ year old house for about two years now. The previous owners had a giant antenna installed on one side of the roof (can be seen a little at the top of this photo). It's tethered to the roof with five or six cables, though one of the cables came off the roof sometime last year and now swings around along the side of the house. There's a thick gray cord coming from the antenna down the side of the house and into the house, though I'm not sure what it connects to once it gets inside.

I'm pretty sure this antenna is for television reception, but we have cable, so this isn't an issue for us. The antenna swings around wildly in the wind, and especially now that it's lost one of its tethers, I'm always a little nervous to park in the driveway, by the side of the house with the antenna, because I'm afraid it might blow off and hit the car.

How would one go about removing an antenna like this? If we can't do it ourselves, what type of person would provide this service? (roofer? electrician?) We need to not only get it off the roof, but also safely disconnect any wires from it. And I want to make sure that it really isn't something that we actually need to have. Thanks for any advice.

I'd suggest calling a local roofer and seeing what he recommends.  He might say to call someone else, but since this is a safety issue for you it sounds like it's time to make some calls.

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Central Ohio

My home had a TV antenna and a CB (citizen's band) antenna.   A ham radio & CB emergency services volunteer group was happy to remove one of the antennas (and provided a local government agency letter of acceptance for me to use as a tax deduction).   Regardless your antenna's purpose, have it removed by someone knowledgeable, and have a roofer check for/repair any holes in the roof after the guyline (tether) pins are removed.    Absent reuse for it's original purpose, you might be able to recoop expenses when you sell the metal to a scrap dealer.

Thanks everyone for your great suggestions! I will try to find radio clubs in my area. I was also thinking of asking around at a Radio Shack, because in my online searching for information on removing an antenna, I've found many mentions of people at Radio Shack being knowledgable about installing such an antenna.

I'll also try and get a better photo of the antenna, so you can see what I'm talking about. It's seriously massive :o)

Where are you in PA?  I could take it down for $100.  Leo   410-616-9898.

Leo, I sent you an e-mail.