Help with antenna selection

[sundevilinok]

I'm finally going to be cutting the cable and going to OTA. Here's my my signal analysis for my location.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d03d9eee059372c

While I would not rule out an outdoor mounted solution, I'd really prefer to mount the antenna in our attic. I estimated the antenna height to the approximate height it would be at in our attic. I'm only concerned about getting the 4 major networks. Attic space could be a limiting factor for the size of the antenna. If outdoor, we don't have restrictions for putting up a mast, but, really have very limited yard space for one. If outdoor, would need to be roof mounted (we are a 2 story house).

I'm definitely a newbie with antenna's, so, any advice that can be offered would be appreciated. Thank you for any help offered.

[John Candle]

You are lucky , all the receivable stations are of one direction , about 151 degree magnetic compass. The antenna will be mounted above the roof top on the out side of the roof not in the attic. I suggest a Winegard HD7698P antenna. This antenna will supply signal to up to 4 Tv's. Here are mounts that will not make holes in the roof. http://www.eham.net/libraries/download/430/Photo_A.jpg , notice the wide spacing of the straps , this makes the antenna stable. And http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Perfect/PVEM1.gif

[sundevilinok]

Thank you for the quick response!

Question I have is how well do these antenna's hold up to the type of weather we get in Oklahoma (high winds, hail, sleet, frozen rain)?

We actually have a chimney to attach to just as you showed in the picture, and it's on the correct end of the house for an unobstructed view in the direction of the towers. The only downside is our attic at the other end of the house is where the connection to our already existing cabling is at. The chimney side of the house is all vaulted ceiling, so, no attic access.

I was figuring on plugging into this to provide a signal to the cable outlets in our house (only 2 TV's in use). Just guessing, but, it's about 60' from the chimney to where our cable tv taps into our in house cabling (just depends on how directly the cable can be run). From there, it could easily be 50' + to wherever the TV's are located. Can that be done, or, do we need to consider other alternatives?

Last item, any idea on what we are looking at in cost? Unfortunately, I'm not physically able to get on the roof to do this work, so, I have to factor in the installation cost too. I understand the cabling part is a big variable, but, any "guess" as to what we are looking at in cost?

Thank you again for your advice. I really appreciate it.

[John Candle]

So what is obstructing the reception path in the direction of the transmitting towers on the end of the house where the cable goes in??

[John Candle]

The antenna and what it takes to get it installed is a one time cost. If you are connected to pay cable or pay satellite , what is the month after month cost of those services?? . At http://amazon.com , the Winegard HD7698P antenna is $130.40 and free shipping , the Channel Master CM9067 chimney mount is $24.99 , the Winegard SW-0012 eave/gable mount is $27.16 and free shipping.

[John Candle]

The Winegard HD7698P is a Heavy Duty antenna that is built to last in Oklahoma weather.

[sundevilinok]

We'd have tree's obstructing the view if gable or roof mounted on the west end of the house. I took another look out there today, actually would have the same problem from the chimney. The best exterior location is actually in the middle of the roof where the second story rises up. I included a picture. There's a 2nd attic area accessible from one of our bedrooms, with complete access to the other side of the wall shown in the picture (circled in red). Honestly forgot about that attic and how much space is up there.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18836205/middle%20roof%20-%20east%20side.jpg

This spot would have an unobstructed view towards the towers.

I understand it's all a fixed one time cost, I just need an idea of what to budget for. That antenna is about 130, another 30 for the mounting hardware, cable to run from that location to where our cable junction is at, about 30' of cable, found 50' coax on amazon for under 15, so, about 175 in material. With the amount of cable I'm talking about, any amplification needed or should we be good without that?

My last cost variable is labor. Any idea what someone might charge to install an antenna at the location in the picture? Probably a dumb question, but, who does one even contact to do this (ie. handyman, tv repair, etc)?

Given the flack I'm getting from my wife about putting up a large antenna on the roof, I figure I need to re-ask the question about an attic mount given the larger attic space I forgot about. Here's a picture from in the attic:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18836205/attic%20area.JPG

The spot circled in red is the other side of the attic vent you see in the other picture from the outside. A lot of space in here. Can we make something work in here?

Thank you again for your advice!

[sundevilinok]

Doesn't look like my last post saved. We'll try again. I took another look outside this morning, actually either end of the house would have tree obstructions. The middle part of the roof where the 2nd story rises up has a gabled end that would be a good un-obstructed location. Here's a picture:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18836205/middle%20roof%20-%20east%20side.jpg

The area circled in red is attic access I actually forgot about. We have 2 attics, a walk-in area above the garage the other being the behind that area circled in the picture. So, it would be an easier cable run from that location to the walk-in attic where our cable junction is at.

I understand it's all a one time fixed cost, I'm just trying to get an idea of what I need to budget for. It's looking like about 175 in hardware (antenna, gable mount, coax cable). Do you anticipate a need for anything to amplify the signal? It's going to be at least 30' from the antenna to the cable junction, then, could be around 50' to each of the TV's. Since I'll need to hire someone to do the work, I want to make sure and get everything done at once.

The last cost is installation. Any guess as to what I could expect there? Dumb question, who does one contact for this type of work (ie. tv repair, handyman, etc)?

Thank you again for your advice.

[sundevilinok]

Given that I forgot about that other attic access (honestly had never stuck my head up there before today, had no idea how much room was up there), I need to re-ask about attic mounting. Will this really not work at all for us? My wife is really opposing the roof mount. This attic area has a lot of room.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18836205/attic%20area.JPG

The area circled in this picture is the other side of the wall from the outside picture in the previous post. So, there's a lot of in there.

Thanks again.

[John Candle]

Well Ok then install a Winegard HD7694P antenna with a Winegard HDP269 preamp in the attic. Get the antenna up as high as possible in the attic and aim the antenna at about 151 degree magnetic compass. Adj. for best reception of the weakest channel KTUL real channel 10 , virtual channel 8.1 ABC. Attach a pipe to hang down from attic roof rafter and attach the antenna to the pipe. Any kind of pipe will do , conduit , water pipe , plastic pipe , etc. , drill a hole through end of pipe put a screw through hole and screw into the rafter. Put boards in the attic for a walk way.