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Originally Posted by jbrams
Okay - bigger is better. But I'm hoping to minimize any potential eyesores for my neighbors
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Of course, that's your prerogative, but honestly, I don't think you need to worry on behalf of your neighbors too much. When they hear how much money you're saving by not paying for cable/satellite, they'll understand and may even want to do the same.
There is also the FCC Over The Air Reception Devices rule (
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html), which is a federal law that says everybody has the right to erect an antenna for OTA service, and it supersedes and landlord, HOA, city, county, or state restrictions (except for a small number of special cases) that might try to prevent you from doing so.
Yes, there can be the initial shock of seeing something on the roof that wasn't there before. But I think you will find that after that initial shock wears off, people actually tend to ignore these kinds of things.
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any of these antennas clock in at under 7 feet long (boom) and have good reviews or known to be particularly good models in any TVFools' experience?
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Both the HBU-x and HD769xP line of antennas have been known to work well, so I can recommend either one. Older models of Winegard antennas have been known to have a great lifespan. These newer models are too new to say much about their longevity, but there do not appear to be any significant problems with construction quality.
Yes, that should work.
With any pre-amp, just make sure to find a model with a low Noise Figure specification. Good amps should have a Noise Figure of 3 dB or less. Both of the amps you mentioned should be fine.
With the J-mount, I have two concerns:
1) Can it hold the antenna clear of your house? The mast clamp on the antenna is roughly located in the middle of the boom. That means the mast needs to be several feet away from your house in order to provide space for the antenna elements and boom (and perhaps have enough room to rotate the antenna a bit). It might not be just a simple matter of pulling the J-mount's mast away from the house either, because this might cause the antenna to point into the ground. You want to have the antenna pointed at the horizon in the direction of the transmitters.
2) Can the active area in front of the antenna be kept clear of other objects as much as possible? You'll want to avoid aiming the antenna such that the main lobe of the antenna pattern cuts across the roof or other nearby objects. Objects that are too close to the antenna's frontal area might alter the antenna's RF characteristics. Things
behind the antenna are less critical, so it may be OK if the antenna is pointed
away from the building.
As alternatives, you may want to consider a chimney mount (which leaves no holes at all) or a wall/eave mount that lets you use a longer vertical mast that extends above your roof line.