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Originally Posted by pxc
I appear to be pretty close to my area's broadcast towers so I imagine I can get by with a smaller antenna, but here are a few details that might make a difference:
- We have a two story house
- Signal needs to be split for two televisions, one in the basement and one on the first floor. If possible splitting into 3 is even better but not necessary. I don't know what to buy to make this all happen.
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Hello and welcome!
Yes, you are very close to the local broadcasts. In fact, some of the signals are so strong that you might have problems with too much signal.
Whatever you do, make sure you DO NOT use any signal amps in your setup (avoid antennas with built-in amps). Most amps would be overwhelmed by signals this strong, so you really should avoid them completely.
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- I don't want to mount anything on the roof. It is difficult to even get on this roof and the angles are treacherous. Attic is preferable, assuming that is a viable option.
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With very strong signals, an indoor antenna can work. The main thing to watch out for is signal reflections (a.k.a., multipath) off of objects in the vicinity (e.g., walls, neighboring buildings, ducts, pipes, etc.). A rooftop antenna is out in the open and usually gets a nice clean signal. Indoor environments are usually surrounded by a lot more "stuff" that can cause signals to bounce around.
For an attic installation, it's best to keep the space around the antenna clear of other objects. In most cases, it's best to suspend a mast from the rafters or mount a mast from the bottom up so that the antenna is in the middle of an open space.
You should also check the direction of the stations (north-west in your case) to choose a location that has minimal "stuff" to get in the way (e.g., chimney, trees, ducts, etc.).
You'll have to check to see if your attic is suitable for such an installation.
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- I am concerned the length of cable will degrade the signal, but don't know enough about this stuff to know if this is a valid concern.
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Since your signals are starting out so strong, the cable length should not be a problem for you. The signals should still be plenty strong by the time they reach each of your televisions.
I would recommend an antenna like the Antennacraft HBU-22. This is a channel 7-69 antenna (you don't have any channels in the 2-6 range), so you can have a smaller overall antenna. Another good choice for a channel 7-69 antenna is the Winegard HD7694P.
All of the networks you want can be picked up by pointing the antenna at around compass heading 306º. The "beam width" of the antenna spans roughly 60º, so you should have no trouble picking up all the stations in that general direction.
To mount the mast, you can use a bracket like the Channel Master 3078
You can use a standard 4-way splitter to send the signal to each of your TVs.
Just be sure to cap off any unused ports with a 75-ohm terminator. Any open-ended connections can "reflect" signal back into the cable and cause interference. Terminating all the loose ends avoids this problem.
Use RG6 coax to connect everything together. Some places might give you RG59 coax (thinner and more flexible, but more susceptible to noise and interference). You're much better off sticking to RG6 cable.
Antenna masts are usually pipes with a 1.25" diameter. They can often be found at a local store (e.g., Radio Shack, Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace, etc.) so that you don't have to deal with shipping.
