Outdoor Antenna & Wind?

RMSko · 01-14-07, 09:40 AM

I have a very good Radio Shack outdoor antenna mounted on my chimney via a single pole mount. My signal is typically in the high 90s, but sometimes goes as low as 88. However, I have been getting some pixelation at times and although I know there are many things that could cause this, I assume wind is a significant factor and am wondering whether it makes more sense to move the antenna into my attic. The mount I presently have it sturdy, but I think there will always be some movement if there is a signifcant amount of wind (is there any way to prevent this?). That said, there are many trees around my house and the pixelation may be due to the wind blowing the trees and not the antenna. It would be a bit of a pain to move the antenna so if anyone has any thoughts, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Rick0725 · 01-14-07, 10:14 AM

the problem can be caused from the following

-system movement. Stablize/secure, with formed metal conduit and not guys- shorten strengthen mast

-aging of antenna system. rusting of components- rivots shrink,wire interconnects age-lossening of antenna elements-not as secure , contact degrades -flop about in the wind, etc. winegard hd series antennas are better designed for this aging process.

-multipath from the branches doing the "wave"

attic - outside is best. If antenna shows sign of age...replace.

m_vanmeter · 01-14-07, 10:29 AM

several things that high wind can effect - has the pointing of your antenna shifted ? is the coax cable securely tied off ? Is the connector between the coax and antenna still corrosion free and tight ?. How old is the coax feed ? Coax does deteriorate over time.

I ask because all of these have had an effect on the antenna I had up for many years. I also had a chimney mount and we live on a hill with very rough winds during storms. My simple solution was to recheck everything, use coax-seal to waterproof the connection, and install guy wires to lock down the antenna and take much of the wind stress off the mounting. The only difficulty with guy wires is "how to anchor them". I eventually used stainless steel eye-bolts carefully screwed into roof joists at the three locations for a 3-wire guy wire system ( 120-120-120 degrees ). I used a high grade silicon caulk in the threads of the eyebolts where they entered the roof and joist and then used "liberal" amounts of roofing cement where the bolt exited the roofing shingles. Never a leak, but I did check the roofing cement seal every several years.

RMSko · 01-14-07, 04:32 PM

Thanks for the replies. The antenna is about 2 years old, as is the coax. The connections are all protected and don't show any sign of rust. I think I'll need to track it a bit to see how much the wind really affects the signal and whether it is solely wind related.

01-14-07, 09:40 AM	#1 \| Link	<a href='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adclick.php?n=a4ac4393' target='_blank'><img src='http://rev.avsforum.com/phpAdsNew/adview.php?what=zone:30&n=a4ac4393' border='0' alt=''></a>
RMSko Advanced Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Westfield, NJ 07090 Posts: 954	Outdoor Antenna & Wind? I have a very good Radio Shack outdoor antenna mounted on my chimney via a single pole mount. My signal is typically in the high 90s, but sometimes goes as low as 88. However, I have been getting some pixelation at times and although I know there are many things that could cause this, I assume wind is a significant factor and am wondering whether it makes more sense to move the antenna into my attic. The mount I presently have it sturdy, but I think there will always be some movement if there is a signifcant amount of wind (is there any way to prevent this?). That said, there are many trees around my house and the pixelation may be due to the wind blowing the trees and not the antenna. It would be a bit of a pain to move the antenna so if anyone has any thoughts, it'd be greatly appreciated. __________________ Rich S TiVo since 1999

01-14-07, 04:32 PM	#4 \| Link
RMSko Advanced Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Westfield, NJ 07090 Posts: 954	Thanks for the replies. The antenna is about 2 years old, as is the coax. The connections are all protected and don't show any sign of rust. I think I'll need to track it a bit to see how much the wind really affects the signal and whether it is solely wind related. __________________ Rich S TiVo since 1999

01-14-07, 10:14 AM	#2 \| Link
Rick0725 AVS Special Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Clay, New York Posts: 1,475	the problem can be caused from the following -system movement. Stablize/secure, with formed metal conduit and not guys- shorten strengthen mast -aging of antenna system. rusting of components- rivots shrink,wire interconnects age-lossening of antenna elements-not as secure , contact degrades -flop about in the wind, etc. winegard hd series antennas are better designed for this aging process. -multipath from the branches doing the "wave" attic - outside is best. If antenna shows sign of age...replace.

01-14-07, 10:29 AM	#3 \| Link
m_vanmeter WD4JCM AVS CLUB MEMBER Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Georgetown, KY Posts: 2,435	several things that high wind can effect - has the pointing of your antenna shifted ? is the coax cable securely tied off ? Is the connector between the coax and antenna still corrosion free and tight ?. How old is the coax feed ? Coax does deteriorate over time. I ask because all of these have had an effect on the antenna I had up for many years. I also had a chimney mount and we live on a hill with very rough winds during storms. My simple solution was to recheck everything, use coax-seal to waterproof the connection, and install guy wires to lock down the antenna and take much of the wind stress off the mounting. The only difficulty with guy wires is "how to anchor them". I eventually used stainless steel eye-bolts carefully screwed into roof joists at the three locations for a 3-wire guy wire system ( 120-120-120 degrees ). I used a high grade silicon caulk in the threads of the eyebolts where they entered the roof and joist and then used "liberal" amounts of roofing cement where the bolt exited the roofing shingles. Never a leak, but I did check the roofing cement seal every several years.