Help choosing and mounting antenna in Ky

[Unclejackrock]

Here's my TVFool report.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e6a40e5fe90efc

What's a good choice for a good all around antenna? I'm sure I'm gonna need a pretty high gain antenna that will pick up UHF as well as VHF HI. I've ordered a Channel Master rotor, and I already have an RCA Preamp as well as a CM 7777 (new style, single input)
Any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[rabbit73]

Welcome, Unclejackrock

Winegard HD7698P

[JoeAZ]

Amazon has a SPECIAL on the Winegard 7698P. You may also
want to try Walmart.com. Be sure to keep your RG6 cable run
as short as possible. Keep things simple, especially at first.
One antenna to one tv. Add things slowly, like more tv's, etc, etc
so if you start having issues, it is easier to identify the cause....
Keep the antenna as far away as possible from trees and be
sure to ground your system!

[Unclejackrock]

Thanks for the replies.
Will the Winegard 7698p also pick up the UHF channels in my area? The description says VHF HI. Just wondering if that will be the only antenna I'll need, or if I'll need to go dual.

[ADTech]

The 7698P is already a "dual" or combo antenna.

The CM rotor will have a pretty short life expectancy with a 7698P on it, that's a huge amount of mass that's well out from the center mounting point. A "light duty" ham rotor is suggested, they usually start in the $350-400 range but you'll probably never wear it our.

[Unclejackrock]

Well, I'll just roll with the CM rotor until it breaks, and then maybe look into a better one. Already bought and paid for, and I got it for like $70 as a refurb.

One other thing, I'll search for it, but can somebody link me to a thread that details proper grounding? I'm using a gable mount for what it's worth. I work for a telco that does triple play broadband services (ironically, as I'm using OTA instead of my company's paid TV subscription. It's just gotten too expensive, even at my discount), so I have all the tools necessary for the install.

[rabbit73]

If the antenna is outside, the coax shield should be grounded with a grounding block that is connected to the house electrical system ground with 10 gauge copper wire for electrical safety and to reject interference. For further compliance with the electrical code (NEC), the mast should also be grounded in a similar manner to drain any buildup of static charge which will tend to discourage a strike, but the system will not survive a direct strike.



Satellite System Grounding
Part 2 - NEC Overview
Presented by Todd Humphrey
http://www.dbsinstall.com/diy/Grounding-2.asp

Todd Humphrey doesn't speak for the NFPA that publishes the NEC code, but he has some ideas that are helpful. The local electrical inspector (AHJ, authority having jurisdiction) has the final say if you are willing to get him involved. Some inspectors are more friendly than others; a local electrician could tell you.

[Unclejackrock]

Many thanks for all of the replies. I have another question. I've ordered a Winegard 7698P antenna. Ive watched some videos, and I'm wondering if I should use the CM amp, or separate the UHF section of the antenna from the VHF and use the RCA amp? I've seen some videos that indicate that the antenna works better with the bands seperated.