Quote:
Originally Posted by slowhike
OK, thanks to all the great help here I think I decided on the Winegard HD-8800 antenna.
After S&H, I can save better than $10 ordering it from Winegard Direct instead of buying it in the local Electrician Supply.
I checked the mounting straps that were on the chimney from many moons ago & although there's a little rust on the straps, it looks plenty strong.
I think I'll at least use it for now & if I decide that is a good location, I'll consider buying a new chimney mount kit later.
I will just need to buy the U-bolts with nuts.
For the mast, I'm thinking I might use a section of "galvanized steel top rail" like used for a chain link fence. I already have a new section & it looks to be the same OD, 1.25".
I'm guessing it would be similar in strength to the masts sold for antennas.
About the cable... Winegard Direct only sells a 100' length with ends in place. I checked the distance from were the top of the antenna would be to the TV and 25' would reach the TV with a couple feet to spare.
I guess I could buy a 25' section from another source, but if I bought a 50' length, I would have room for testing the antenna other places on the roof peak, as well as the option of moving the TV if I chose to do so.
Would having the extra, unnecessary cable length take away much from signal?
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After considering all the information you have gathered from various sources, it is your decision to determine what is best for you. Personally, I think you made a good choice with the Winegard HD-8800 antenna. Indeed it is more than you need for the Triad locals from your location. But the fact that you are also shooting for access to the Charlotte locals (some of which are close to 70 miles away)..... you want to ensure you can maintain good signal strength on those stations 24/7. Plus, as you said before, you've got those large trees in your yard to consider.
You may lose some signal with the length of the coax. But I wouldn't imagine the difference between 25 and 50 feet is going to make much difference. In fact, I would suspect it would be minimal. What really hurts is when you start splitting the signal off a single coax to go to multiple TV's. Since you are not doing that, I think you should be fine. You could always trim the coax length later on (if you want to). It's certainly better to start out with more coax than you need so that you've got room to experiment with.
In my view, I think you are off to a good start. Best wishes with your new antenna. Post back your results when you are done.....Happy holidays to you and yours.