Clueless in NE

[buerr]

Hello -

I am building a new single family house in Bennington, NE (a suburb of Omaha, NE). I have no idea where to begin but here are my thoughts:

-I am thinking of putting a roof mounted antenna in but have no idea what antenna to use or other equipment (amplifiers, etc) that will be needed.

-I have no other homes or trees that are taller surrounding my house and my house lies on the top of a hill/ridge.

-I want to run the antenna down to the basement? where I will run it through the cable outlets? Will this work?

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d46ae8a2e35ab5e

Any and all help is appreciate. Thank you.

[GroundUrMast]

You have a nice reception report...

An Antennas Direct DB4e (http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-DB4e-DB4E-Antenna/dp/B0074H3IU6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376427383&sr=8-1&keywords=DB4e) facing azimuth 150° magnetic would give you a shot at nearly all the strong local signals. If you want to add the second PBS station, KUON, add an Antennacraft Y5713 (http://www.antennacraft.net/Antennas/AntennasVHF.html) to the system. The two antennas can mount on the same 10' mast. DB4e on top, the Y5713 about 4' down from the bottom of the DB4e. Use a UHF / VHF combiner such as the Antennas Direct EU385CF (http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-EU385CF-Combiner-Connection/dp/B008PBTPN4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1376427248&sr=1-1&keywords=uhf+%2F+vhf+antenna+combiner)

If you are still in the planning stages of construction, consider specifying that the electrical contractor mount 1" rigid conduit as a mast, or work with the roofer to optimize the installation of a tripod.

The phone, data and TV cable should all run from a single location, that way, you can do add/move/change as needed. If the basement is the logical location, that's fine. The antenna down-lead would run to the grounding point near your electrical service and then to the common location of all your cabling.

If you have many TVs to feed, you can add a distribution amplifier such as the CM-3410 (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FY0B90/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=20797333164&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16279379101939565789&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_7tiz6ieksf_e) which can easily drive an 8-way splitter if needed. There are distribution amplifiers with built in splitters, but I think you pay a premium for the built in and loose the flexibility of selecting a splitter with just the right number of ports to serve the connected sets. Unused splitter ports costs you signal level.

[buerr]

Where do I get a 10' mast? I see 40 inch mast on amazon?

[buerr]

Also, construction is pretty much complete. So no luck working with the builder to construct a tri-pod. :(

[GroundUrMast]

I've found the 10.5' 1-3/8" Chain-Link top rail at Home Depot to be a very good mast. http://www.homedepot.com/p/YARDGARD-10-1-2-ft-17-Gauge-Steel-Top-Rail-for-Chain-Link-Fence-328913DPT/100322532#BVRRWidgetID They also carry Ideal brand splitters. The 5 to 1000 MHz grade are all you need. Again, pick a splitter with the number of ports needed. http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=13090

3Starinc is one of several sources for DIY parts such as tripods and other antenna system parts. http://www.3starinc.com/antenna_mounts_and_masts.html