etherhuffer
Well-known member
My neighbor is an audiophile and electronics kind of guy. He says go ahead and put an antenna in the attic for the TV. It would sure beat an ugly one on the roof
Antenna in Attic?
- Thread starter etherhuffer
- Start date
whateg01
Well-known member
Pretty common. We always had one in our attic when I was a kid. I think in our case it wasn't so much that the antenna was ugly as dad didn't want to have to climb up on the roof to fix it when a storm came through
If your attic is high enough, it works fine, assuming you don’t have a metal roof. Look at https://www.antennaweb.org/ if you don’t know where to point your antenna.
My antenna is in the attic. We’re close enough we could get by with an antenna near the window , but that would require a wire across the room, so it’s a lot neater to put it in the attic and drop a cable down the wall. When I was a kid , one of our neighbors had two attic, pointed in different directions, with a switch to choose between them.
duneslider
Well-known member
I have always had antennas in my attic.
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
it can work but will depend on how far away the transmitters are
Chuckster in NJ
Well-known member
50 years ago I had an antenna in my attic with a rotor and I could "zero in" on some channels that my next door neighbor could not get just by rotating the antenna.
Innovate1
Well-known member
Antenna on (above) the roof is better but in the attic works great for me. The roof shingles and other construction materials provide some attenuation so really depends on how strong your signals are. I have an antenna amp on mine partly because I split the signal to a couple TVs which reduces the signal.
reader2580
Well-known member
My brother put his TV antenna in the attic in his new build. It works fine. It probably helps that he is less than 15 miles from the antenna farm that most TV channels here broadcast from. It would probably be less ideal the further you are from the antennas.
BD55
Well-known member
I made a diy antenna like this and added a piece of aluminum foil faced cardboard behind it as a reflector and put it in the attic and get great reception. One story house with neighbor’s house right in front of it and the broadcast tower is 60+ miles away.
mrb1
Well-known member
About 30-40 miles from the nearest towers. Just messing around a couple years ago tried an indoor attic mount. Does it work? Absolutely. Does it get as many channels as a 40ft tower? Nope. That's why they call it "testing". Location is everything.
whateg01
Well-known member
Gonna need a bigger attic for my low band antenna.
four.cycle
Well-known member
There is/was an antenna up in the attic here. I think I yanked it out and threw it into the trash when Mike and I pulled the south wall off the house and replaced it.... not sure now, but I'm not climbing up into the attic right now to check.
ambenz
Well-known member
Living west of Ohare airport, I am about 30 mile from Sears TV tower skyscraper but can actually see it from my roof!
But my home is a lower ranch and I loose about 30 channels leaving the antenna in the attic. I get around 124 channels. Now dazes, these "digital" antennas are pretty small and windy days are NOT an issue anymore.....
But my home is a lower ranch and I loose about 30 channels leaving the antenna in the attic. I get around 124 channels. Now dazes, these "digital" antennas are pretty small and windy days are NOT an issue anymore.....
whateg01
Well-known member
Would have been great if they would have called it "Ron White's big ol' f*****g building"!
rooster59
Well-known member
You can look at a website like this and get an idea direction and distance of local broadcast towers. Lets you know what kind of antenna you're likely to need
https://www.channelmaster.com/pages/tv-antenna-map-by-state
https://www.channelmaster.com/pages/tv-antenna-map-by-state
larry4406
Well-known member
How are those towers anchored and serviced?About 30-40 miles from the nearest towers. Just messing around a couple years ago tried an indoor attic mount. Does it work? Absolutely. Does it get as many channels as a 40ft tower? Nope. That's why they call it "testing". Location is everything.
No way in hell I would be climbing 40' up those rungs to service/adjust the antenna.
Is there a vertical shaft to rotate the antenna or do you just commit to a rotor or multiple climbs?
larry4406
Well-known member
@etherhuffer you should look into the channels you hope to achieve to determine their actual frequency (lo-VHF, hi-VHF, UHF). This will determine the type of antenna you will need.
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
looks like towers ive climbed before
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
True ! I bought a pair of "window" antennas (see through; attach to window glass) for each of their HD TVs. They worked very well even though they were 50 miles away from the tower.
Go here to find where you broadcast antennas are located.
The "weird" looking antennas are gimmicks ! This one works very well, Channel Master METROtenna 40.
The cross grating goes in the back, the bow ties in the front.
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Those work VERY WELL if you cut the wire to the precise lenght !I made a diy antenna like this and added a piece of aluminum foil faced cardboard behind it as a reflector and put it in the attic and get great reception. One story house with neighbor’s house right in front of it and the broadcast tower is 60+ miles away.
Worsedog
Well-known member
Well it takes some room when your wavelength is measured in kilometers.Gonna need a bigger attic for my low band antenna.
mrb1
Well-known member
Won't find my big *** up there either. Came with the house 26 years ago when I bought it. No visible concrete? Driven deep into the ground, with a couple rigid brackets attached to the brick and the roof edge. Very sturdy. That's how I access the roof when needed. Notice the antennas stop a few feet past the chimney top. That's my limit
The 360 rotor died about 10 years ago. A neighbor had rented a cherry picker for some tree work, so he brought it over. I disconnected the electric rotor and we just pointed it to get all of the Cincinnati and Dayton channels and strapped it down. With streaming and internet, rarely used locals much anymore. Tall one feeds the big tv in main room. The three smaller ones feed two bedrooms, and the garage tv with straight runs, no splitters. The round one is for FM in the main room, and garage stereos.
leadfoot415
Well-known member
Start here... https://www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php.
0-30/35ish miles depending on terrain, you should be okay with a decent antenna in the attic. Further than that, you're looking at putting it outside up on the roof/chimney.
Dont buy any of those crappy chinese antennas peddled on amazon/ebay/walmart. Quality names include Televes, Channelmaster, clearstream.
I have a clearstream 4max at my home here in SE MI (approx 10 line of sight miles to most transmitters). I have a Televes DAT Boss mix LR on an ancient rotator, mounted about 30 ft AGL on the chimney up north at the cottage. After I replaced the 20 year old ****** coax from the antenna to inside the house, I regularly pick up stations from 55-60 miles away out of the Soo. Dont cheap out on crappy cabling and connections, limit the number of splitters and dont use any cheapo inline amplifiers unless it is what came with the antenna.
Depending on how many markets you are trying to receive, 2-3 antennas combined with a televes smartkom might make more sense than a rotator if you want to get fancy.
0-30/35ish miles depending on terrain, you should be okay with a decent antenna in the attic. Further than that, you're looking at putting it outside up on the roof/chimney.
Dont buy any of those crappy chinese antennas peddled on amazon/ebay/walmart. Quality names include Televes, Channelmaster, clearstream.
I have a clearstream 4max at my home here in SE MI (approx 10 line of sight miles to most transmitters). I have a Televes DAT Boss mix LR on an ancient rotator, mounted about 30 ft AGL on the chimney up north at the cottage. After I replaced the 20 year old ****** coax from the antenna to inside the house, I regularly pick up stations from 55-60 miles away out of the Soo. Dont cheap out on crappy cabling and connections, limit the number of splitters and dont use any cheapo inline amplifiers unless it is what came with the antenna.
Depending on how many markets you are trying to receive, 2-3 antennas combined with a televes smartkom might make more sense than a rotator if you want to get fancy.
larry4406
Well-known member
fitter30
Well-known member
Signel strength meter cheap one is $25.
LopezBart
Well-known member
Note that an antenna in the attic won't work at all if one has a metal roof..... metal roofs are quite common in this area because of occasional high winds...
minke
Well-known member
I live 2.8 miles horizontally from the local antenna farm. Sounds good but the height above sea level
for their towers bases is ≥9,570 feet and I live at ~6,250. The granite shoulder of their mountaintop
blocks a lot of stations and I suspect that their antennas directionality (gain towards the horizon rather
than pointing down at me) limits my signal strength. I do get a few stations well.
When we had analog TV signals degraded gradually. Digital TV degrades abruptly.
for their towers bases is ≥9,570 feet and I live at ~6,250. The granite shoulder of their mountaintop
blocks a lot of stations and I suspect that their antennas directionality (gain towards the horizon rather
than pointing down at me) limits my signal strength. I do get a few stations well.
When we had analog TV signals degraded gradually. Digital TV degrades abruptly.
BurtEggley
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2024
- Messages
- 864
ATSC 3.0 and what encryption means. Right now OTA is free. Maybe not so with ATSC 3.0 once it is fully rolled out.
cordcuttersnews.com
Nexstar & Sinclair Ask The FCC to Shut Down Free OTA TV ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC Unless People Upgrade Their TVs to ATSC 3.0 | Cord Cutters News
The broadcast television industry faces a pivotal moment as major station groups intensify efforts to secure a firm timeline for switching entirely to the advanced ATSC 3.0 standard, known as NextGen TV. In recent filings with the Federal Communications Commission, large operators including Gray...
cordcuttersnews.com
wyliesdiesels
Well-known member
ATSC 3.0 and what encryption means. Right now OTA is free. Maybe not so with ATSC 3.0 once it is fully rolled out.
Nexstar & Sinclair Ask The FCC to Shut Down Free OTA TV ABC, CBS, FOX, & NBC Unless People Upgrade Their TVs to ATSC 3.0 | Cord Cutters News
The broadcast television industry faces a pivotal moment as major station groups intensify efforts to secure a firm timeline for switching entirely to the advanced ATSC 3.0 standard, known as NextGen TV. In recent filings with the Federal Communications Commission, large operators including Gray...
thats gonna be a mess when it rolls out
OP
etherhuffer
Well-known member
I crawled up to the attic and looked at the blown in insulation. Then crawled back out.... I think the roof makes more sense now. And the chance of me putting a foot through the ceiling drywall is low.......but not zero.........
theoldwizard1
Well-known member
Segue - Over the Air (OTA) HDTV can transmit on one of 3 "bands"
- VHF-low (old channels 2-6 - Pretty much abandoned for HDTV. FTC wants to "reclaim" these.)
- VHF-high (old channels 7-13 - FTC wants to "reclaim" these also)
- UHF (old channels 14-36 - FTC "reclaimed" 38-51 for other uses)
Viper98912
Well-known member
And the chance of falling off the roof somehow makes more sense?
mrb1
Well-known member
Good call. Could make a big difference in what ya pull in also. In my above image, the antenna up top gets all of Dayton and Cincinnati. The smaller ones just a bit lower only pull in Dayton, which is good enough for the bedrooms.
OP
etherhuffer
Well-known member
Of course. No itching and scratching!
Casts are plenty itchy. Hard to scratch though.
OP
etherhuffer
Well-known member
I have D rings on roof, use safety harness now. Gravity be damned!
reader2580
Well-known member
I installed D rings on the roof of my new 16 foot tall garage. Of course, no way to tie off while installing them. I still have to climb up to the peak to clip on.