HD-OTA antenna placement

[Dishpointer]

I have a question on installing a CM 4228 antenna for my parents. They live about 28 miles from the towers in Kansas City. They purchased a CM 4228 antenna and preamp and want me to install it in their attic because they don't want it visible from the outside. The attic is huge and there would be no obstructions except for the roof of the house. Will this work if I hang it from the rafters or will the roof kill the signal? Also, how does the preamp receive power? Is it powered through the coax or should I place the preamp by the receiver? The receiver is a DP811 and the antenna would be mounted within 50 feet of this receiver. Please let me know the best way to set this up because I will need to take my spool of coax and tools with me when I visit them next week.

Thanks

 

[oljim]

Attic may hurt signal, what per amp do you have ?

 

[mwgiii]

The art of OTA is hit and miss. You will have to hook up the antenna and then move it around the attic to find the sweet spot. Make sure you check antennaweb.org to see which direction their channels are.

The preamp will have 2 parts. One mounts on the antenna and the other (with the power plug) will be very close to the receiver.

 

[boba]

With that 8 bay bowtie you probably won't need the preamplifier at only 28 miles from the tower. You could overamplify the signal, that antenna should be good for 50 miles without amplification.

 

[jergenf]

The attic will antenuate the signal somewhat but many others have reported success with attic installs.

The preamp should be installed as close to the antenna as possible (so that it doesn't amplify noise) and there a power inserter that sends DC voltage up the coax to power the preamp. That inserter should be as close toi the receiver as possible. A 19db preamp generally doesn't have any overload programs.

 

[Minsk1]

My advise to everybody who wants install attic OTA: do not listen to them who claim that attic install will not work, multipath problems, loss of signal....
TRY!
I installed CM 4228 in my attic and easily got all Milwaukee HD locals (25 miles). Then I thought why not to try to get Chicago locals (70 miles). So, turned antenna 160 degrees towards Chicago and I got most stations with CM Titan 7777 pre-amp. But lost sevaral Milwaukee stations. Next I thought about installing the second antenna and combining signals. Read a lot about it, most comments were that it will not work.
I TRIED. The second antenna is a cheap Menards one. Combined signals with splitter. Then put pre-amp, split signal in the basement to two receivers (811, 942). What do think? It works just fine. Some Chicago stations are breaking from time to time. WFLD (Chicago Fox) and UPN51 never breaks. It is very good for me because Milwaukee UPN is not in HD yet.
SO TRY IT!

 

[Dishpointer]

Thanks guys. I figured i would at least give it a shot. Antennaweb says this:

* yellow - uhf KPXE-DT 50.1 i KANSAS CITY MO 21° 21.9 51
* yellow - uhf KMCI-DT 38.1 IND LAWRENCE KS 22° 18.7 36
* yellow - uhf KSHB-DT 41.1 NBC KANSAS CITY MO 22° 18.7 42
* yellow - uhf KCTV-DT 5.1 CBS KANSAS CITY MO 10° 23.9 24
* yellow - uhf KCWE-DT 29.1 UPN KANSAS CITY MO 17° 25.8 31
green - uhf KCWE 29 UPN KANSAS CITY MO 17° 25.8 29
* green - uhf KCPT-DT 19.1 PBS KANSAS CITY MO 21° 26.5 18
green - uhf KSHB 41 NBC KANSAS CITY MO 22° 18.7 41
green - uhf KPXE 50 i KANSAS CITY MO 21° 21.9 50
lt green - uhf KMCI 38 IND LAWRENCE KS 22° 18.7 38
lt green - vhf KMBC 9 ABC KANSAS CITY MO 17° 25.8 9
lt green - vhf WDAF 4 FOX KANSAS CITY MO 8° 23.8 4
lt green - uhf KSMO 62 WB KANSAS CITY MO 21° 27.2 62
* lt green - uhf KSMO-DT 62.1 WB KANSAS CITY MO 21° 27.2 47
lt green - vhf KCTV 5 CBS KANSAS CITY MO 10° 23.9 5
lt green - uhf KCPT 19 PBS KANSAS CITY MO 21° 26.5 19
* red - uhf WDAF-DT 4.1 FOX KANSAS CITY MO 8° 23.8 34
* red - vhf KMBC-DT 9.1 ABC KANSAS CITY MO 17° 25.8 7

I don't need a preamp but what is the best way to also get FOX since it is at 8° and the rest is around 21°? Is there a motor that I need to install on the antenna that turns it or should I just split the difference and go with the better signal?

 

[styxfix]

I hope you can fit the CM 4228 antenna through your folks attic opening. If you can't, it would be a pain in the ass to take apart since it's all rivets connecting to the screen.

 

[Dishpointer]

I hope you can fit the CM 4228 antenna through your folks attic opening. If you can't, it would be a pain in the ass to take apart since it's all rivets connecting to the screen.

Your right. I measured the opening lats July and it will barely fit through the opening if I put through at an angle.

 

[Lorenzo]

You might try a couple of temporary attic locations for best signals. I drill a hole in an inch and a quarter antenna mast and hang it from a high point in the attic. All you have to do is use a single nail to hold the pole and use your signal strength readings to choose the best location. Sometimes it's easier to use the analog signals from the same tower looking very critically at the ghost and snow level. The beamwidth of a 4228 is 15 to 20 degrees so you may be able to point it midway or slightly towards the weaker signal tower. You can mount the power supply anywhere between the preamp and the receiver it doesn't need to be close to the receiver as it only is a step down transformer that changes the 110 VAC to a lower usually still AC voltage around 20 volts. I've done many attic installs with good results with wood shingles having less attenuation than composite or tile roofs. One consideration is that wood shingles have more attenuation when they are wet or if there's snow on the roof. Shooting through a vertical side wall if possible seems to wotk better than through a roof.

 

[Dishpointer]

Awesome info. Thanks for the help. If I need help next weekend, I will be back.

Thanks again

 

[fs2685]

I just completed an attic install at my house with pretty good success. I'm about 30 miles away from Hartford towers over hilly terrain. Antennaweb showed it as violet (large directional) but I decided to try a large multidirectional. I got a DB8 from Antennasdirect, which looks pretty much like the 4228, though more expensive I see . I've gotten signals in the 60-75% range from the big 4. 60% seems to be the lower limit for no breakup through my 811. Unfortunately I can only seem to get 3 out of 4 with any given placement. Depending on the angle either Fox or ABC signal drops below 60%. I have about a 70 foot cable run from the antenna to the receiver. Is a pre-amp necessary, or helpful for this? My other thought is adding a rotor. Any other sugestions would be appreciated.

 

[garys]

Yes, a preamp would probably put all your stations into the high 80's - low 90's.

 

[Jeff M]

What is a good preamp for UHF. Thank you.

 

[Minsk1]

What is a good preamp for UHF. Thank you.

CM Titan 7777 ($50).

 

[luckycat]

I have a question on installing a CM 4228 antenna for my parents. They live about 28 miles from the towers in Kansas City. They purchased a CM 4228 antenna and preamp and want me to install it in their attic because they don't want it visible from the outside. The attic is huge and there would be no obstructions except for the roof of the house. Will this work if I hang it from the rafters or will the roof kill the signal? Also, how does the preamp receive power? Is it powered through the coax or should I place the preamp by the receiver? The receiver is a DP811 and the antenna would be mounted within 50 feet of this receiver. Please let me know the best way to set this up because I will need to take my spool of coax and tools with me when I visit them next week.
Thanks

I have the same antenna in my attic above the garage, no pre-amp, and it works GREAT! I DID have to aim it properly - just like aiming a dish but I only rotated... I'm about 30-35 miles I believe from our broadcast towers.

I rigged up a pole in the attic, mounted on one of the trusses, and put the antenna on that pole- so basically like mounting outside, but in the attic.

 

[mwgiii]

Radio Shack has a cheap attic mount that I used.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...032187.2032189.2032207&pg=3&parentPage=family