Help selecting Antenna (Charlotte, NC)
 

I recently cancelled my Dish subscription and I'm looking to install and antenna. The only existing cabling is two coax cables running from the cable demarc to the wall where the TV is. These are the same lines that Dish used, but I may rerun the cable just the same. Incase it matters, the TV is a Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ85U. I currently plan to mount the antenna to the top of the chimney, which is about 18' from the ground. Then I'd run a cable to the demarc box, probably split it there and run one cable to the TV and another to a tuner (either a Hauppauge 2255 or an HDHomerun Plus) for DVR and streaming to other devices. Here is my report:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...d243c1bacf058e

Is there an antenna that would get good reception for the main broadcast networks? Is it possible (and effective) to combine the signal from 2 directional antennas, one aimed North and one at around 295°? And in case anybody has any experience with them, any suggestions on the Hauppauge vs the HDHomerun?

There is a UHF antenna (real ch 14-51) that can be aimed at two directions - the Antennas Direct DB8e. It'll probably miss WTVI (ch 11, VHF high), but you can add a separate VHF high antenna (real ch 7-13) and combine that signal with the signal from the DB8e. How fancy do you want to get?

I have my DB8e pointing in two different directions, and I get nothing from the second direction (that direction soon to be abandoned). But my two directions are widely separated, and for you, it might be just the ticket.

If you go chimney mount, buy your mounts and a 10' chain link top rail as a mast. That should get you several feet above the chimney top. Ideally you want to be well clear of the roof peak. Surrounding buildings and trees will interfere with reception, so an antenna location to avoid them is warranted.

Thanks for your suggestion. Mounting the antenna, installing tuners and configuring software will probably be my hobby for the next 4 months or so and I'd like to come out of it with a nice setup. I'm willing to spend up to $300 on the exterior equipment. The peak of my house is oriented N-S with the chimney on the E side of the house. There are trees maybe 100 yards to the north, and they are tall enough there is no way to avoid them without going to ridiculous lengths.

So I'm looking at my mounting options. I somehow didn't notice the tree next to the chimney... so yeah. I'm thinking mounting the antenna on the eave, something like this: http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/1079223.html

I was thinking of mounting it on the south end of the house so that it's further away from the house next door, which is taller than my house. Any recommendations for mounting the antenna like that?

Doesn't matter how far you are from the neighboring house, as long as the line-of-sight (LOS) is unobstructed to the horizon north and northeast, in the direction of the stations that you want to receive. If the neighbor's house (or tree) is between you and these stations, then likely it will be an issue.

Sorry for bumping an old thread, I just wanted to thank timgr for his help. I just finished installing the DB8e today and it works beautifully. Both my TV and the HDHomerun Plus pick up all local networks (even WTVI) in addition to a bunch of other channels I didn't know about. It is winter so the trees may cause problems when the leaves come in, but at least I know there are no issues with structures or terrain. Now I have to play with my computer to set up a viable DVR.