Ok it's getting close to getting my rig up on the roof (somehow). I've contacted several installers, but encountering some interesting problems:

- One installer does not recommend tripod rooftop installations at all, since he says due to winds they all eventually loosen at the roof and -will- leak and it is virtually impossible to get the tripod secured in all three spots to trusses (implying that some of the legs will only be holding onto plywood). He recommends a side-mounted (on brick) installation, but this would only get me about 25 feet off the ground. I have a line of 40' trees about 150' south of the house, so I was hoping to get on the peak of the roof (30') + tripod/mast (hopefully another 10').
- Another installer, unbelievably, doesn't even ground the mast! He only uses a grounding block for the coax; he says they've never had a lightning strike on any of their installs, but everything else I've read say this is a major no-no and the mast needs to be grounded. Yikes..
- I've been in touch with a couple of other installers that I had a good feeling about, but can't seem to get a hold of them recently (maybe I'm asking too many questions, lol)

So the biggest question I have is, what should I do for a mounting option? The installer recommending the side-mount has offered some help to test out the elevation before deciding on an install - I like that.. but is the roof really that bad of an idea? Anyone care to share their experiences?

Whether the mast _has_ to be grounded is a matter of code. Whether it's important or not is another question. Just consider that if you don't, you've basically installed a lightning attractor to the top of your house.

Ok it's getting close to getting my rig up on the roof (somehow). I've contacted several installers, but encountering some interesting problems:

- One installer does not recommend tripod rooftop installations at all, since he says due to winds they all eventually loosen at the roof and -will- leak and it is virtually impossible to get the tripod secured in all three spots to trusses (implying that some of the legs will only be holding onto plywood). He recommends a side-mounted (on brick) installation, but this would only get me about 25 feet off the ground. I have a line of 40' trees about 150' south of the house, so I was hoping to get on the peak of the roof (30') + tripod/mast (hopefully another 10').
- Another installer, unbelievably, doesn't even ground the mast! He only uses a grounding block for the coax; he says they've never had a lightning strike on any of their installs, but everything else I've read say this is a major no-no and the mast needs to be grounded. Yikes..
- I've been in touch with a couple of other installers that I had a good feeling about, but can't seem to get a hold of them recently (maybe I'm asking too many questions, lol)

So the biggest question I have is, what should I do for a mounting option? The installer recommending the side-mount has offered some help to test out the elevation before deciding on an install - I like that.. but is the roof really that bad of an idea? Anyone care to share their experiences?

where lag bolts can't be put into trusses then you could nut and bolt through the roof deck. checking the installation including waterproofing and coax is an every bunch of years task, nothing lasts forever. if you didn't want that type of penetration then put a 2x4 onto the bottom of the roof deck where the leg is and lag bolt into that as if it were a truss.

do ground the tripod and mast.

I mounted my current antenna (myself, with assistance from my brother) using a 30' pipe for a mast alongside the house with two 18" brass mounts. One at the top, on in the middle, and the bottom sunk 2' into the ground. Solves the grounding problem and also makes the mast significantly stronger.

I have used a tripod before, I didn't encounter the problems described. It was solid. I put a heavy 2" steel pipe in for the short mast, and tarred the hell out of any possible points of water ingress. There's a lot to be said for fibered roof tar as a sealant.

Ok it's getting close to getting my rig up on the roof (somehow). ......So the biggest question I have is, what should I do for a mounting option? .....but is the roof really that bad of an idea? Anyone care to share their experiences?

how far are from the transmitters that u want to receive? if youre actually in or near toronto u probably have good strong signals on all or most of your local channels....and in that case i would try an attic install first....the antenna will last forever since its out of the weather, lightning is not an issue and theres no chance of roof damage....i've had good luck with attic installs as far as 25 miles from the transmitters....

pm3839,

I like your signature. :)

I'm about 30 miles out, and I've got some trees, plus the antenna won't fit in the attic opening, so it's going to be an exterior installation I'm afraid. I'll probably try hanging it temporarily from the eaves to see what I can pick up; if I get good reception, good enough! Otherwise I might go all out for the tripod install..

I'm about 30 miles out, and I've got some trees, plus the antenna won't fit in the attic opening, so it's going to be an exterior installation I'm afraid. I'll probably try hanging it temporarily from the eaves to see what I can pick up; if I get good reception, good enough! Otherwise I might go all out for the tripod install..

Do you have LOS at 40ft?

At 40ft, I have a clear view of both the CN Tower and across Lake Ontario towards Buffalo. The peak of the roof is 30ft from ground level, so with a 10' tripod/mast, I'll get this LOS. I found an installer just this morning actually who is quite knowledgable and explained how they do their rooftop installations. They recommend keeping it to a 7ft mast to keep wind load down, but that's a small compromise.. They use some kind of rubberized foot gaskets and get at least 2 of the 3 tripod legs directly into the trusses. In addition, they do the grounding properly as well. Hopefully this'll be my solution!

At 40ft, I have a clear view of both the CN Tower and across Lake Ontario towards Buffalo. The peak of the roof is 30ft from ground level, so with a 10' tripod/mast, I'll get this LOS. I found an installer just this morning actually who is quite knowledgable and explained how they do their rooftop installations. They recommend keeping it to a 7ft mast to keep wind load down, but that's a small compromise.. They use some kind of rubberized foot gaskets and get at least 2 of the 3 tripod legs directly into the trusses. In addition, they do the grounding properly as well. Hopefully this'll be my solution!

Cool, you should be dropout free, if you can see the tower from the roof... I can see NONE of area stations other then a 100KW FM and a couple of UHF low power religious channels.... If you can get inside the attic and add bracing between the trusses or rafters, it will make the tripod stay through ANYthing! (so as all 3 legs hit framing)

If a separate ground rod is used for the mast, that rod must be bonded (connected) to the main electrical ground for your home. If not bonded, it can result in equipment damage. And it's against code.

The requirement for bonding you specify is from the NEC (USA) electrical code. Here in Canada, we don't have that requirement, and when I inquired with both electricians and installers, they said they've never heard of anyone doing that here. It's too bad, since I think the bonding can be beneficial, but everyone goes by the local 'code' rather than what makes the most sense. A couple of guys I spoke with were willing to do it, but at a high cost (AWG6 wire isn't exactly cheap).

Rather than using a dedicated grounding rod, I hope to just ground the mast to the house ground (rod or water pipe) and then I won't have the issue of voltage potential differences between antenna and house grounds.

Sorry, didn't notice your location.

Regardless of code, if a separate ground source was used, I would still bond it to power. Otherwise, I would probably leave it ungrounded. I can't recommend that, though.

The requirement for bonding you specify is from the NEC (USA) electrical code. Here in Canada, we don't have that requirement, and when I inquired with both electricians and installers, they said they've never heard of anyone doing that here. It's too bad, since I think the bonding can be beneficial, but everyone goes by the local 'code' rather than what makes the most sense. A couple of guys I spoke with were willing to do it, but at a high cost (AWG6 wire isn't exactly cheap).

Rather than using a dedicated grounding rod, I hope to just ground the mast to the house ground (rod or water pipe) and then I won't have the issue of voltage potential differences between antenna and house grounds.

it is good to not violate your building code, though going beyond the code in a way that doesn't violate it is an option.

bonding between the house and antenna grounds is important electrically. that applies to having a grounding rod for the antenna install that is separate from the house electrical system. if the antenna and house electrical system use the same grounding electrode then there is no bonding to be done.

having the antenna grounding go to a grounding electrode outside the house is a good thing, you don't want to bring that current into your house if you can avoid it. small currents from static or induced by farther lightning strikes probably aren't a problem. it would be the larger currents induced from nearby lightning strikes or split lightning bolts that you would want to keep out of your house.

you are proposing running a grounding wire from your grounding block to your house grounding electrode, in the USA this would be with 6 AWG, you would use whatever id required for you. for the price of a grounding rod (and a few feet of wire and a clamp) you could put in a separate grounding electrode for the antenna at that location.

Never under estimate mother nature. Another reason grounding is needed is because wind can cause static build-up and blow out your television set and anything else connected to it. ;) I've heard stories before, about people using outdoor antennas without being grounded, and let's just say, they're not that pretty.

You risk burning your house down, destroying your high dollar tv, and everything else plugged in.