TV Fool - recommendation for antenna needed

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recommendation for antenna needed

Hello,

I'm trying to determine which antenna would work best for my situation. I currently have two TV's, but may add more in the future. The antenna will be mounted outdoors in one of two possible locations. One, I can mount the antenna on top of the roof (approximately 22' high) near the side of the house and about 10' away from the electrical weather head. This would place the antenna about 30' from the first TV. My second option is to mount the antenna on the chimney at a height of approximately 24' and well away from the electrical weather head. This would place the antenna about 45' from the first TV. I'm trying to determine the following:

Which antenna would work best for me?
Where should I mount it?
Do I need an amplifier?
What type of cable should I buy?
How do I ground my antenna?

Here is my location:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...267e1e0629bd87

Thanks for any insight.

I tend to favor chimney mounting provided the antenna is not subjected to soot. Use of a 10' mast section helps if there if occasional wood smoke. Tripods and eave bracket mounts are also sturdy and reliable.

Consider a Winegard HD7696P or Antennacraft HBU-44 aimed NW (about 26° compass). With an Antennas Direct CPA-19 preamp, you should be able to drive a 2, 3 or 4-way passive splitter.

If you don't reliably receive KNVA, real CH-49 (CW) you can add a Winegard HD5030 aimed at KCWX, real CH-5 (about 313° compass). Using a HLSJ type signal combiner, you can merge both antennas into the preamp input.

RG-6 is easily found online and locally.

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=901

Grounding in a basic system is a two step process:

1) Connect a #10 gauge copper wire to the antenna mast. A bronze ground clamp such as the Halex #36020 is well suited for this application. Run the wire directly to the electrical service ground. Avoid sharp bends in the wire. (Often you can use a 'split-bolt' electrical connector to clamp the #10 wire to the existing ground wire close to the ground rod outside the building. If possible, avoid running the new ground wire inside the building, energy from static or electrical storms is best directed to ground before it has any path into the building. The wire can be bare or insulated, your choice.)

2) Run the coax from the antenna to a location close to the electrical service ground. Install a ground block and with another peice of #10 wire, connect it to the electrical service ground at the same point you connected the mast ground.

I don't recommend short-cuts such as driving a new ground rod that is not connected to the existing electrical service ground. An isolated ground rod often has a high resistance that provides very limited ground connection. The goal is to connect to the same ground system that protects the rest of the home.

Surge protectors located inside outlet strips at the TV, computer or similar devises are worth consideration. A surge protector with a high joule rating is able to absorb more fault energy than a unit with a lower joule rating. Some surge protection units include phone jacks and F-connectors to enable protection of a phone line, coax cable and the power cable(s). However, in the case of an outdoor mounted antenna, this type of protection should not be considered a 'first-line of defense'.