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Re. amplifiers, I tend to favor those that are capable of handling strong signals without overloading. The 8700 is better than some amplifiers in this regard but the HDP-269 is significantly better. If you have strong signals from police, fire, or commercial services, the high input capability may be needed even though your TV Fool report does not show many strong TV signals. To calculate how much gain you need, add up the total length of coax from the antenna to the one TV served by the longest run of coax. Budget 6 dB / 100' of RG-6 and then add the splitter loss (4 dB for a 2-way, 8 dB for a 4-way or 12 dB for an 8-way). In other words, 14 dB of amplification is all you need to drive a 100' run of coax with a 4-way splitter in line. In addition to the amplifier gain, don't forget the gain of the antenna... this makes the 12 dB gain of the HDP-269 sufficient for more applications than may be apparent at first glance.
Re. Grounding, I'm reluctant to suggest or endorse the option you've listed as 'c)'. If you where to take a 'hit', I don't think it's best to route the fault current through your home's plumbing on it's way to the ground provided by your electrical service ground rod and connection to the neutral conductor of the electrical service grid. I would much rather invite / encourage that current to remain outside the building. Options 'a)' & 'b)' may have a one time cost, but they are reasonable efforts that minimize the chance that fault current would enter the home. It sound like option 'b)' is the best in your situation.
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If the well is dry and you don't see rain on the horizon, you'll need to dig the hole deeper. (If the antenna can't get the job done, an amp won't fix it.)
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Last edited by GroundUrMast; 7-Aug-2013 at 12:59 AM.
Reason: Antoher thought or two
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