ANT atic/roof question?

[budda]

I am going to put a ANT up for a freind, he has a new home. He has a DLP set with built in HD. Does not want to mount to roof. He has a large atic. On average how many miles do you lose. If ANT is in the atic as opposed to on the roof. No rotor. All feed back welcome. Thanks

 

[jscud]

I am going to put a ANT up for a freind, he has a new home. He has a DLP set with built in HD. Does not want to mount to roof. He has a large atic. On average how many miles do you lose. If ANT is in the atic as opposed to on the roof. No rotor. All feed back welcome. Thanks

Mileage figures for antennas are usually meaningless except as a VERY ROUGH indicator of gain. Your best bet is to run a temporary line and just give the attic a try. A tripod mount will allow you to walk around and place the antenna on the floor in different spots. Make sure to try it in different areas of the room. Pointing the antenna may be critical, a few degrees off can make a 70% signal drop to 0%. If you have no luck in the attic, go to the roof. Your friend might have to decide if he wants OTA HD or a clean roof line.

John

 

[charper1]

Go on a ROUGH guess of losing 40% - 50% and you should be able to buy the correct antenna.

What is his zip code?

What are the his roof framing & singles made of?

 

[budda]

Zip 53066, and singles are asphalt, also the tripod thing sounds like a good idea.

 

[charper1]

Well its about 30 miles and 93° to that DMAs towers from that zip code.

WMVS-DT PBS being the lone VHF channel; so if that is of no concern to him look at the UHF only; if he wants it all, and I would, look at the combos.

UHF Only
Winegard HD 9095P
Channel Master CM 3023
Winegard PR 8800
Antennas Direct DB8
Channel Master CM 4228
Antennas Direct 91XG
Radio Shack U-75R / Catalog #: 15-2160

Combo VHF/UHF
Channel Master CM 3678
Channel Master CM 3019
Winegard HD 7084P
Antennas Direct V21
Radio Shack VU-120 XR / Catalog #: 15-2154

 

[budda]

Thanks charper1 I am going to use the winegard 7084 I get those for about 75.00, and he is fine with that, thanks for the input. Budda

 

[charper1]

Let us know how it works out; ENJOY!

P.S. Here is an aerial snapshot of the tower location.

 

[Hall]

Go on a ROUGH guess of losing 40% - 50%

40-50% what ?? Signal strength ??

 

[charper1]

Yes, he was asking about an in-attic install. Depending on the materials used in the construction and insulation, along with all the normal OTA antenna factors, many antenna guides say to estimate as if up to 40% - 50% is going to be lost to make sure you have "enough antenna".



Q: I’m thinking of installing an antenna in my attic. Are there special installation or reception concerns that I should be aware of?

A: There are several installation and reception issues that you will need to consider if you decide to install an antenna in your attic.

*First, be aware that installing an antenna in an attic means an automatic reduction of signal strength by at least 45 to 50%. This means you may need to purchase an amplifier and/or a larger antenna than you might need if installation was planned for the rooftop.

*Second, consider the type of material your house is insulated, roofed and sided with. If your house has aluminum siding or metal foil-backed insulation, or has a metal roof, and any of these materials comes between the antenna and the signal, the signal will be either blocked entirely or significantly reduced. Also, if your attic contains power lines and/or air conditioning equipment, these can cause further problems with signal reception.



Just a few sources:

http://www.solidsignal.com/manu/terrestrialdigital/antenna_faqs.asp#faq9

http://www.wcti12.com/hdtv.htm

http://www.antennasdirect.com/attic_installation.html

http://www.pldepot.com/off-air.aspx

 

[budda]

Thanks, from your info I should be good, wood sideing,aspht singles, no power lines or ducks up there, I think a few sofit vents 8x11, thats it will be puting it up next week and post back results thats.

 

[Hall]

All I'll say is, it doesn't hurt to try.... I have a Terk HDTVi antenna sitting on a 1x4 (layed across the floor joists) in my attic. I have a gable in the center, with aluminum siding, so I moved the antenna to the side of that, such that it's shooting through wood framing, plywood, and shingles. With that antenna, I pick up 4 of the 6 locals at 90-95% signal strength. The other two come in at 77%. Those two lower signals stations happen to be "sister" stations. I don't know why they both happen to come in lower...

 

[charper1]

The other two come in at 77%. Those two lower signals stations happen to be "sister" stations. I don't know why they both happen to come in lower...

Maybe they vary or have their power lower? Any difference in the topography between them?

 

[Hall]

All of the local stations broadcast from the same "hill" or group of hills.... From my address, according to antennaweb.org, they're all between 250' and 264' compass orientation and 5.1 to 6 miles away.

I'm going to re-verify which get the low number vs their locations today.

 

[charper1]

What is the call sign (or your zip) of the "low signal" one? I can send you the link to check their transmit power versus the others. That might be the issue since they are all in the same location.

 

[Hall]

Apparently heat is a good thing in relation to my signal strengths.... It's likely to be 130+ F in my attic today. Here's the numbers:

Station  Orientation  Distance  Strength

WDTN      254          5.8       90
WPTD      255          5.5       95
WKEF      258          5.7       85
WRGT      258          5.7       97
WBDT      258          5.7       88
WHIO      264          5.2       90

The two that are typically lower (they're 10+ "points" higher today) are, I believe, WKEF and WBDT. They're still the lowest, but those numbers shouldn't be anything to complain about !

 

[charper1]

Here are two examples that might explain it?


WPTD-DT (58) - DAYTON, OH 290 kW
N 39° 43' 16.00" W 84° 15' 0.00"

WKEF-DT (51) - DAYTON, OH 95.5 kW
N 39° 43' 28.00" W 84° 15' 18.00"

 

[Hall]

What about WBDT and WDTN ?? Were do you get this info ??

 

[charper1]

I search the call signs on the FCC website. They list current digitals and analogs, temporary digitals, and any pending constructions; along with their LAT/LON and power measurements.

 

[budda]

Well it's in the atic/crawl space/ with a preamp, Oconomowoc is between Madison and Milwaukee , in Wisconsin. I get all channels from both citys. That freind/costomer is very pleased. Got a bracket and a poll hang the pole from the rafters found the sweet spot all's good. Thanks for all the info.