I've been visiting for the better part of 10 years when we cut the cord and have been somewhat satisfied with rabbit ears. Being in construction, I realized proper roof mounting on this 100 y.o house is going to be rather involved, so we waited..until now.
First,
here's our signal analysis.
True LOS to the primary transmission tower is for the most part correct - I can see the Willis Tower (Sears Tower)
just above a treetop from the roofline on most days.
The recommended antenna for similar circumstances I've seen here is the AntennaCraft HD850, however there's a problem mounting this on our 15 foot chimney. (btw, the chimney has already been selected as the optimal location for LOS, grounding, and point of entry into the house.) I plan on using the standard Ronard 12' chimney mount with 1-1/4" EMT as a mast, as recommended by Ronard.
My problem is the antenna will not be able to clear the top of the chimney - rather it must be mounted below the cap. The reason - the chimney cap courbels out 5" and is 14" tall. Moreover, I have three liners that extend another two feet beyond that. This is asking way too much for EMT, nor any thinwall mast. Guy wires are not possible anywhere on this flat roof. Besides, the offset for the mount is 4-1/2" and the chimney courbel is 5".
I've also seen the Channel Master CM2016 suggested for slightly different reasons. I believe this will work with a bit of creative use of a pipe bender, however its beamwidth and range is more limiting. How will this affect me? Is there another recommendation with similar profile?
Lastly, the new point of entry into the house will require splicing/extending 6 existing RG6 another 30 feet and swap the 6-way splitter into 8. Explaining the existing setup will be too involved but you should know that those 6 cables have never been tested. They are QS though. The shortest run will be 50' yet the longest run will likely be +100'. Is a pre-amp warranted? Also looking for an 8-way splitter suggestion.
If you've read this far, thanks. Pls let me know if I missed anything.
And thanks to all who contribute to this site.
-tony