I purchased the DB8e antenna and installed it in my attic. It's working good; I'm getting all the major network channels that I wanted.
Do I need to be concerned with loosing reception in the winter if I have snow/ice on the roof with the antenna in the attic (I'm in Buffalo, NY = lots of snow)?
I don't lose anything with heavy snow, and I'm in Rochester. I 'oversized' mine on purpose, because the DB4e is in the attic and looking through asphalt shingle roofing, which is a poor location, but the local channels come in solid always.
If there are any issues with snow/ice, I could install the antenna on the roof (I got my wife's approval
) and maybe I would get a couple extra stations from Toronto (like CityTV)?
In your situation, I'd do that anyway, especially with pre-approval from the spouse.
Also, if I install a splitter for reception on a 2nd or 3rd TV, do I need an amplifier? I'm not sure I understand the difference between an amplifier and a pre-Amplifier? Is there a difference? Is there one you recommend?
I'm betting you wouldn't need it, especially if the antenna is moved to the roof/chimney. But a passive splitter is cheap, and if you lose stations you had before adding the splitter, you could easily put a powered distribution amp in its place.