Antenna / System Setup Advice Sought

[ltng7679]

I was looking to cut my bills a little and dump my dish network since I only watch a few channels anyway.

I have an LG42cs570 HGTV which is fairly new so I assume it has a tuner. My plan was to set up an antenna in my attic (it's a 200 year old house and my wife doesn't like the thought of an antenna on the roof). It has a stone center chimney so this will probably give me problems. At 20 ft my report shows a number of channels 9 and up with a signal strength of 19 dbNM or higher. I only plan on running 1 TV ( about a 60 ft cable run away) but might get up to two in the future. I thought I'd also change my DSL internet to Cable for higher speed and try to use the internet (amazon prime) for the occasional movie or streaming of some shows / movies. Looking recommendations of what equipment including wire types to buy to make it all happen and how to connect it (like a simple block diagram). My attic opening isn't that large and getting by the chimney to the far side of the attic might be a challenge so an antenna that I can disassemble to pieces less than 3 ft wide by 4 ft tall would be helpful.

Also have a new attic vent fan in the area where the antenna will be located - not sure if there are EMI issues or if the frequencies are so different it won't matter.

Here's my signal strength report.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...f1f0c2676c6222

Thanks for any advice you might have.

[timgr]

I hear you about falling back to the broadcast stations and Prime.

You really put yourself at a great disadvantage by not mounting the antenna in clear air. Any trees or buildings in the path to the transmitters will also be problematic. A rooftop mount typically gets you above the low-level obstructions, for a much better chance at reception.

Your TVFR is pretty mediocre at 20'. People who make good use of attic installations will usually have a dozen stations with 50 or better noise margin, and asphalt or wood shingle roofs with wood or plastic siding. Even then, predicting performance in an attic is uncertain.

Are there stations or a particular market that you really must have? if you insist on the attic mount, you need to go large from the start. For UHF stations, the premium choice currently is the DB8e from Antennas Direct. This antenna is panel shaped, about 4' square. You would have to assemble it in the attic if you only have limited access. You could try it, and see what you get. Not an inexpensive antenna though.

It's difficult to predict interference. Certainly an electric appliance adjacent to an antenna is not going to help. Not only will the appliance make rf noise, but any conductive structure nearby can change the tuning of the antenna, and reduce its sensitivity. Antennas work best in clear air, far away from external loading and obstructions.