Update and a story.
I wanted to provide an update on my OTA adventure. I decided to go with the 91XG and the AP 2870 preamp due to the smaller size compared to the HD8200U. I will try out the VHF antenna later.
Now here is the story. The antenna arrived and my wife flipped out when I mentioned it will be mounted on the side of the house. She was so mad she started taking pieces of the 91XG and hiding them on me. I was able to negotiate them back by agreeing to try it out in the attic. It was like a hostage situation.
I eventually got up in the attic, and to my surprise, I was able to get all of the UHF channels (even the Greylock channels) with NM values of -10.8 and higher. It turns out the gable ends of my house are a “hip roof” style, and I can pick up the signal right through the slate if I position the antenna above the vinyl siding.
My next step is to do some new RG6 cable drops and get a VHF antenna for CBS and FOX. I hope it will work in the attic as well.
My marriage is saved. Thanks again everyone.