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Trying this again... I had a long reply done and for some reason I got logged out and lost it all!
First - thanks for all the info and help.
Second - I got up in my attic and did some playing around with position and direction. I found out that I have two issues up there. One is interference of some sort that is causing my digital hiking compass to go off, the second is the antenna was mounted too low so it was actually aiming through my dormers as well as the roof line. Basically two walls, plus insulation, shingles and siding. In my haste to get out of the extreme heat up there I just mounted it, aimed and got out. This time I took my time early in the morning while it was still tolerable up there.
I now have it mounted interference free and as high as possible to clear the dormers. HUGE difference in reception!
WYCW - 90%
WUNF - 70%
CW would come in occasionally in the past, UNF was a lost cause.
Bigger surprise was CBS coming in which is VHF. It only comes in at 50-60% but it comes in.
We also picked up some repeat PBS stations and a few local access which we dont care about. ABC is still only 10-15% but I expected that being so far away and VHF. I still need to tweak direction since I aimed for CBS to come in stronger we are losing FOX. My wife would rather have FOX vs. CBS so I need to re-aim. I am sure CBS will degrade rapidly once I start rotating away.
This is all encouraging for us. I may try and buy the DB4 from my friend and look into adding a VHF antenna. My worry with a long boom is getting it up high enough to clear the dormers and getting it aimed well. Same with getting a big unit that can do both.
Lastly - I have two main reasons for not roof mounting. The main one is grounding. I am comfortable wiring, I have done a lot of indoor house wiring with both electrical and things like home theaters (yes, with permits). With the storms we have around here I would definitely want to make sure an antenna was grounded well. I need to look into that more on the best way it could be done for safety and aesthetics. The second reason is purely aesthetic. We are rural, but live in a nice neighborhood. We are still fairly new here and still making friends. I know they cant say anything legally, but we still dont want upset neighbors. We would be the only people with an antenna on our roof. Even the satellite guys make sure they are well hidden or disguised.
Again - thanks for the help and tips and I hope to get things worked out for us soon.
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