[mborner]

I’ve recently installed a UHF/VHF antenna in my attic for local HD programming. I have a Hughes STB with DirecTv. I’m about 25 miles from the broadcasting towers in Miami, Fl. I have between 99 and 100 percent signal strength on satellite but on OTA signals, mostly UHF, the signal meter won’t stay still. On VHF, the signal is maintained at about 80% but on UHF the signal pegs to 100 then drops to 20, then to 0 then up to fifty than back down to 0 then up to 95 and so on. What on earth could possibly be going on?

 

[greywolf]

That's typical a reaction to multipath often due to signal reflection. Indoor antenna setups are more prone to reflections off building surfaces. Stucco or aluminum siding are the worst offenders and metal objects in the attic can also be especially bad.

 

[mborner]

Greywolf, I think you are probably right. Unfortunately, the only option I have in my attic is to point the antenna directly over the air handler which is all metal. The boom sits just 4" above all that metal. Is there a way that I can shield this metal from the antenna?

 

[greywolf]

The only thing you can do is to move something. Metal in proximity to an antenna effectively becomes part of the antenna system.