Quote:
Originally Posted by sledge
It is the 28752 and we know it will be a rooftop antenna. Once on the roof, is there any advantage to go higher than roof level? Should be about 30 feet at roof level.
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Hmmm. This location is complicated by the fact that the transmitters are coming from many different directions. A lot of the signals are also coming over mountain tops. The entire area seems to be in a bit of a "bowl" surrounded by mountains.
I would say that your friend should be able to access several channels (down into the "red" zone of the list), but they should give up on the idea of trying to get all of them simultaneously. I think this situation calls for an antenna rotator and a good, high-performance antenna.
I don't think there's much advantage to going much higher than the roof. There might be small incremental improvements by going higher, but they do not seem to be enough to justify the added cost/complexity of a major height upgrade. I think that going with a better performing antenna can make up for any lack of height.
I would recommend going with a Winegard 8200U antenna. It is very large, but it does perform well across all VHF and UHF frequencies.
You can couple that with an antenna rotator like the Channel Master 9521A. When using a rotator, be sure to keep the section of mast above the rotator as short as possible. This will reduce the strain on the motor and bearings, and help it last longer, especially when dealing with large antennas. The antenna only needs to be about 4-5 feet above the roof.
Be sure to have a very sturdy base mast mount to deal with the weight and wind-loading of this setup. A little up-front planning to reinforce or use extra mounting hardware can give you years of worry-free operation.
BTW, if this area has unusually severe wind or intense weather conditions, there are even bigger and more robust (and more expensive) antenna rotators available from companies like Hy Gain. Amateur radio operators use rotators like these, and they really work well if you are in need of something extra heavy duty.