I'm installing an antenna in my attic, I'm curious if anyone has experience testing with a similar config.

The face of the house faces the broadcase towers, in other words I can avoid passing the signal through the roofing material if I install the antenna in the attic at the front underneath the roof apex I can also install it in the back of the attic allowing the signal to pass through the roof slope. The roofing material is concrete shingle. The face of the house is pressboard, 1.5" foam insulation, chicken wire and stucco.

Ideas for better placement (through front or through roof)? I'm hoping to avoid trial and error as moving a large antenna from the front of the attic to the back is slightly less fun than covering myself in honey and rolling in blown-in insulation.

Make a temporary run of coax from the TV/STB to the attic antenna and try to locate the best position for the best reception. There never is one solution and all situations are different. It's all trial and error.

IMO... you'll probably find out that the concrete shingles as well as the stucco/wire mesh may cause problems.

Test...and good luck.

Temp run is a good idea! Also see what frequencies your ATSC channels are broadcasting on. If you are lucky enough to be UHF or VHF than get the biggest Antenna you can fit in your attic that is optimised for one frequency or the other.

Do not make a too permanent antenna mount until you close in on best location.


I even needed a booster to help reception.

Attic installation really kills reception. I don't have concrete shingles but I am fighting distance and large pine trees.

BTW- I tapped into the cable coax for temp testing.

-DonB2

SNIP
Ideas for better placement (through front or through roof)? I'm hoping to avoid trial and error as moving a large antenna from the front of the attic to the back is slightly less fun than covering myself in honey and rolling in blown-in insulation.
I would avoid the chicken wire. My attic antenna looks thru a tile roof. I get excellent reception from 40 mile distant transmitters.

The face of the house faces the broadcast towers, in other words I can avoid passing the signal through the roofing material if I install the antenna in the attic at the front underneath the roof apex I can also install it in the back of the attic allowing the signal to pass through the roof slope. The roofing material is concrete shingle. The face of the house is pressboard, 1.5" foam insulation, chicken wire and stucco.

In your case you need to avoid the chicken wire, so through the roof is your best choice. The same would be true if you had aluminum siding.

Through the eaves is a better choice when the roof has foil insulation or is prone to excessive snow build-up.