My Wineuard works fine just sitting up in my attic. I have to just point it inthe general direction of the transmitters.
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is my attic okay for an indoor antenna?
going through all kinds of options for geting my OTA stations. i live in the deep south. the materials of my roof are, plywood, then felt/tarpaper, then asphalt shingles.
i've gone through all kinds of configurations in my mind and i'm guessing i can put one in my attic. i'm about 20 miles away from the towers and they're all within 10 degrees of each other. if i do put an antenna in my attic, is it possible to get great signal strength even through my roof? also, given my situation (20 miles and very directional) do i need a preamp? would you recommend a channelmaster 4228? these seem to be very popular.
thanks!
i've gone through all kinds of configurations in my mind and i'm guessing i can put one in my attic. i'm about 20 miles away from the towers and they're all within 10 degrees of each other. if i do put an antenna in my attic, is it possible to get great signal strength even through my roof? also, given my situation (20 miles and very directional) do i need a preamp? would you recommend a channelmaster 4228? these seem to be very popular.
thanks!
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I think you'll have to try it to know for sure.
I had an attic antenna that worked great, but then I moved to a new house about a 1/4 of a mile down the road and an attic antenna did not work.
It depends a lot on the house and location.
At the new location I had to put the antenna outside and it works fine.
I had an attic antenna that worked great, but then I moved to a new house about a 1/4 of a mile down the road and an attic antenna did not work.
It depends a lot on the house and location.
At the new location I had to put the antenna outside and it works fine.
In the attic can work wery well. Much depends on the distance from the broadcast tower. You may need an amplifier as well. Try reading the info on the putnam website
www.hdtvexpert.com
www.hdtvexpert.com
If you're putting an antenna in the attic why choose an indoor model? They generally have less gain than most outdoor models. Since no one will see it, why not go for a larger outdoor model with more gain?
A CM 3021/4221, for example, has much greater gain and costs about the same as a SilverSensor, and is even (in my experience) less directional.
A CM 3021/4221, for example, has much greater gain and costs about the same as a SilverSensor, and is even (in my experience) less directional.
I have a CM 3021 in my attic. I live about 20 miles from the broadcast tower(s). I have plywood and asphalt shingles as well.
I get excellent reception for the HD feeds of NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, WB, and PBS.
I get excellent reception for the HD feeds of NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, WB, and PBS.
If you get the 8-bay bowtie and a good pre-amp, you should be fine (check SolidSignal for the Channel Master 7777). I have a four-bay bowtie hooked to the CM 7778, and I get great reception 15 miles from the local antenna farm.
Later,
Bill
Later,
Bill
According to the boys over at home theater spot you shouldn't do an attic install at all, period, end of story.......I am doing an attic install next weekend and will report back here when I am done and tested. Sure attic installls aren't the best way of doing things, but for many people its the only option besides an indoor set top antenna. Which of those two is better? Well probably an attic install of a medium to large format outdoor antenna. Again not ideal, but it can work!
I use a Radio Shack outdoor UHF antenna and preamp in my attic. I live 20 miles from Baltimore and 30 miles from DC. I get flawless reception. I'd definitely recommend at least trying an attic install first. It obviously makes running cables much easier.
are there any special grounding requirements when mounting an antenna in the attic? or can you just mount the antenna and run your line to the preamp?
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Grounding was probably the primary reason I didn't mount outside. I have a CM 3019 in the attic with a channel Master distribution amplifier (no preamp). I get all signals available and live about 27 miles from the transmitters with about a 35 degree spread.
You can always try it.
| Originally posted by Sc0rp10n are there any special grounding requirements when mounting an antenna in the attic? or can you just mount the antenna and run your line to the preamp? |
You can always try it.
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There are two reasons to ground the coax shield of an external OTA antenna. 1) attempt to prevent lighting strikes from reaching your electronic equipment (which would not work on a direct hit anyway), and 2) prevent the coax shield from 'floating' and 'ringing' unnecessarily. The first reason is not a consideration in the attic. The second reason is only applicable on very long runs and you are unlikely to discern the difference in audio or video quality anyway.
I would DEFINITELY use an outdoor antenna in your attic. There are some really good compact hi-gain versions if space is at a premium.
| Originally posted by Southern Soul Grounding was probably the primary reason I didn't mount outside. I have a CM 3019 in the attic with a channel Master distribution amplifier (no preamp). I get all signals available and live about 27 miles from the transmitters with about a 35 degree spread. You can always try it. |
I would DEFINITELY use an outdoor antenna in your attic. There are some really good compact hi-gain versions if space is at a premium.
i think i'm going to try for a channel master 4228 with a preamp in my attic and see how that goes.
I would try it without the RF amp first. They are expensive, rarely work, and are so broadbanded that they amplify the noise floor along with the desired signal. If you are within 25 - 30 miles of your OTA broadcast antennas and are only interested in the digital channels you should be fine.
"I think i'm going to try for a channel master 4228 with a preamp in my attic and see how that goes"
That is what I have and it works great in my attic. The amp helps.
That is what I have and it works great in my attic. The amp helps.
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Given that you are in the middle of two metro areas, how do you orient the antenna?
| Originally posted by sbender I use a Radio Shack outdoor UHF antenna and preamp in my attic. I live 20 miles from Baltimore and 30 miles from DC. I get flawless reception. I'd definitely recommend at least trying an attic install first. It obviously makes running cables much easier. |
I'm outside of Annapolis, so I have Baltimore to the North and DC to the west. I use an antenna rotator to switch between the two. I generally just leave it pointed to Baltimore.
I use a CM 4228 and CM 7777 amp, with a rotor in my attic. I live in Northern VA and pick up DC & Balt. stations very well. Good luck!
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