Pre-amp recommendation

[shoredweller]

Had reasonable reception using Channel Master 7777 mounted on a 10' antenna, outside on the roof. Didn't have it grounded and lost the signal after a wicked storm. Two questions:

1. Is there anything on the market that would work better than the 7777.
2. What's the best way to ground the antenna/amp to protect it in the future.

BTW, my signal report is attached below:

ttp://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d2c158f9d826ae6

Any/all help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Shoredweller

[BigDaveyL]

Originally Posted by shoredweller

Had reasonable reception using Channel Master 7777 mounted on a 10' antenna, outside on the roof. Didn't have it grounded and lost the signal after a wicked storm. Two questions:

1. Is there anything on the market that would work better than the 7777.
2. What's the best way to ground the antenna/amp to protect it in the future.

BTW, my signal report is attached below:

ttp://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d2c158f9d826ae6

Any/all help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Shoredweller

The 7777 still has the highest gain/lowest noise, as far as I am aware.

The easiest way is to run your coax to a ground block very close to where it enters your house. Then you need some grounding wire. You then need to connect the grounding block to your house ground. Also, you need to run another ground wire from somewhere on your mast/antenna to your house ground as well. The grounding wire needs to be as short and direct as possible.

[signmastr]

I mounted the coax ground block on the mast near the bottom, ground that, 2 birds...

[BigDaveyL]

Originally Posted by signmastr

I mounted the coax ground block on the mast near the bottom, ground that, 2 birds...

Well, the block should be mounted to your house, near to where your coax enters your house....

[GroundUrMast]

A few threads that may be helpful:
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=13236&page=5 (starting with post #87)
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=13530
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=13583
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=13646

A low noise figure is always desirable. High gain is not always helpful. Total up the losses on the output side of the amp to determine how much may be needed. But also consider how much signal power you have from the air + antenna gain - down-lead to preamp. Too much signal power can cause just as much trouble as too little.

FWIW, For some time now, the RCA TVPRAMP1R has been my choice for most applications. Low cost, low noise, plenty of gain, dual inputs and an FM trap that can be switched in or out.

I'm looking forward to testing the new Antennas Direct preamp. I've got a sample in hand but am recovering from shoulder surgery so have to stay off ladders and roofs for a bit longer.

[GroundUrMast]

A thread to consider:

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=901 (post #20 is a summary)

I advocate for keeping the mast ground/bonding conductor and coax ground/bonding conductor separate all the way to the point where they connect to the electrical service grounding system. The idea is that fault current flowing in a conductor will result in a voltage equal to the current times the resistance of the conductor. For small fault currents, this voltage will be small. But if a fault causes a larger current, I don't want to see the large voltage connected to an adjacent part of the antenna system. If you do that, you'll wind up with fault current in parts of the system that you didn't expect.