Antenna on opposite end of coax entering house

gopokes · 31-Mar-2012, 5:18 AM

What am I to do? I can drop the ground wire right down the eve in the east side of the house, but how do I run the coax over the the west side and down where the coax enters the house? I can also ground the coax there as that is also where the electric box is.

Stapling to the shingles sounds bad. I can tuck it in the attic but this 2nd story house attic is tight... really don't want to go that route.

Any suggestions?

Thanks a million!! --gopokes

GroundUrMast · 31-Mar-2012, 7:09 AM

I'm not sure I have the whole picture yet. (you can post photos)

What style roof are you working with? Hip, Gable or other? How much overhang do you have?

Is the antenna on the roof? On the east end? How is it mounted? Tripod, chimney kit, guyed mast...? How far from the nearest roof edge?

Are you referring to roof shingles or siding?

Are you disconnecting cable TV service and re-using left in cable? Is there already an established ground connection?

Generally:

Grounding the coax near the electrical service is usually the best option. That's were the ground rods are going to be located typically.

I try to route the coax over the edge of the roof at the point closest to the mast / tripod. I don't like the thought of a cable running level across the roof in a way it could catch debris and then form a dam to pool water. Once I'm over the edge, stapling to the siding or soffit where the two meet will usually provide a route all the way around the building if needed. Another common option is to drop down to the level where siding and foundation meet, but doorways and their porches can be tough to negotiate.

gopokes · 2-Apr-2012, 4:40 AM

Hi GroundUrMast, thanks for your help.

I got the antenna up on tripod, at the peak of the east end of house (~3ft from end), where there is the gable. The west end of the house also has a gable, and that is where the electric service is, in addition to where all the coax cables from the house all lead to.

There is about a 12"-18" overhang at both gables (east and west).

The roof is asphalt shingles, and the exterior walls have siding.

I installed the Winegard HD7697P directional.

As of now I have the coax temporarily running near the peak of the roof to the west side of house and connected to the cable coming into the house. I'm hitting 30 channels and very happy, but I need to finish this install.

I have dumped satellite TV today!!
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Today, on the east end where the antenna is mounted, I attempted to feed the coax thru a hole I drilled in the soffit. Then, in the attic I drilled thru the end rafter and never hit air space after 6" of drilling. I hoped I was going to drill into the space in the eave, and be able to feed the coax from outside into the attic.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks a million --gopokes

GroundUrMast · 2-Apr-2012, 8:14 AM

The photos help immensely. Thank you.

Nice house... beautiful antenna

I own a 3/8" 'telephone' bit. It's about 24" long and is able to make it through several layers of framing, sheeting and siding when the need arises. I believe you can find such tools at Home Depot, Lowe's and similar stores. If not in the tool department, then the electrical department.

If you run the coax through the attic gable ends then down the west wall to meet the existing coax, run a #10 copper wire also. Connect the #10 wire to the mast/tripod and then to the electrical service ground. I assume there is a splitter on the outside at the west end. If so, verify it is connected to the electrical service ground with a piece of #10 copper wire.

(The #10 wire can be insulated or bare, what ever looks good or costs less, your choice.)

Your other option looks like running under the soffit which will add a bit to the length of the coax run.

gopokes · 4-Apr-2012, 5:08 AM

Thank you. I have 2, 12" drill bit extensions I'll try this weekend.

So then, based on what you tell me, it's okay to run the mast ground along side the coax in the attic, and then to the electric service? Won't the future lightning strike then enter the house by traveling thru the attic? Is this a better route than running a mast ground to a ground rod on the east end of the house where the antenna is mounted?

I appreciate the help you're feeding me! --gopokes

GroundUrMast · 4-Apr-2012, 7:52 AM

Running along side each other is fine.

But my preference is to keep the mast ground outside the structure even if it makes more work. The same is true for the coax, I prefer to keep it out of the structure until it has passed through the grounding block.

An isolated ground rod offers very little protection and in some cases, can set you up for a significant voltage difference between objects that you think are at ground potential. If you add a ground rod, you should bond it to the existing ground system with #6 copper. In your case, it sounds like a run all the way around the house.

I have a detached garage with a mast. I spent the money and time adding a ground rod at the garage, 30' to 40' from the existing electrical service. There is a permanently install #6 wire connected to the new rod at the garage and the original rod at the electrical service at the house. So far, I've made it though a couple of nearby lighting strikes. The last one, a few months ago fried a neighbors gate opener controller.

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=901

Electron · 4-Apr-2012, 6:07 PM

It sounds like moving the antenna to the other end of the house would be better. For future reference the legs of the tripod can be moved in and out a little by lifting up or pushing down on the three metal braces in the middle of the tripod , this can help line up the feet with the roof supports under the roof. Here is a antenna mount that does not make holes in the roof. http://www.ronard.com/34424560.html. Buy this mount at solidsignal by typing the word ronard in the solidsignal search box or buy from http://www.ronard.com. http://www.solidsignal.com.