# How High Is Your Antenna Installation?



## MikeekiM

How high did you mount your antenna?

And are you happy with the decision you made on the height?

I am in the Bay Area (Sunnyvale - 94087)...

My antenna installer is highly suggesting a 20 foot mast...

A friend of mine is recommending a 40 foot...but thinks a 30 foot at the very minimum....

I want to avoid an eyesore... but also want to ensure that I get a good signal...

Any comments and feedback appreciated!


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## Nick

A tv antenna is not an eyesore, it is a beautiful thing that
brings the world into your home. 

Higher is better -- it is your perspective that must change.


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## rp3259

I have an antenna designed for 70 miles or greater mounted in the attic. Great reception from local stations (10 to 15 miles) and good reception (little to no lines) from distant stations (60 miles) away.


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## boylehome

Now that the distant TV stations are broadcasting high power, my current antenna system is overkill. It works so well, I'll leave it alone.


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## Tower Guy

MikeekiM said:


> How high did you mount your antenna?


My 4228 is on a 125' tower. It's high enough, but I need more gain.


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## Nick

Boylehome, what a beautiful home you have!


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## Jim5506

My RS U75-R is mounted on a 28' telescoping mast based on the ground and attached to the roof peak of my house. I still have to use an urban pre-amp (Winegard HDP-269) to receive my two weak sisters (0.98kW and 0.96kW) from 6.5 miles away.


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## jdspencer

Single story house with a five foot mast.


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## JM Anthony

Two story house in an urban forest with antenna located in my attic. In my case higher isn't better as it puts me in the trees!! 

John


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## Steve Mehs

jdspencer said:


> Single story house with a five foot mast.


Ditto. I have a Radio Shack VU190 on a 5 foot mast on a single story house. Used to pick up stations from all over in Canada, what helps is I live on what is esstentially a 130 foot hill. I practically had Sunday Ticket for free. Haven't used the thing in a few years now though.


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## Hoxxx

MikeekiM said:


> How high did you mount your antenna?
> 
> And are you happy with the decision you made on the height?
> 
> I am in the Bay Area (Sunnyvale - 94087)...
> 
> My antenna installer is highly suggesting a 20 foot mast...
> 
> A friend of mine is recommending a 40 foot...but thinks a 30 foot at the very minimum....
> 
> I want to avoid an eyesore... but also want to ensure that I get a good signal...
> 
> Any comments and feedback appreciated!


Single story mounted in the attic on a 3 foot pole. I get all the Phoenix digitals near 100%.
I am at least 35 miles from the towers


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## mssturgeon

You need an option for "Set-top".

I'm about 20 miles from the cluster, predominantly flat terrain with trees, using a Winegard WS-1000 and receiving most networks perfectly.

... and yes, that beast is set top ... because I haven't hauled my lazy a$$ up to the attic to mount it in our new home.

- Shane


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## Dave from Kazoo

I have a 10ft pole clamped to my wife's cloth line pole behind the house. The antena has a pre-amp and all the local digital channels come in good. I do need to replace the old cable from the antena to the house(cable has to be 15+ or older). My neighbors hate all the antenas I have up. Two dual LNB dishes, left up when the AT9 was installed for HD. They complain about them all the time BUT at least I can watch TV! Comcast is all ways at their house.


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## kenglish

Transmit antenna: 4223 feet above the valley floor.

Receive antenna: 8 foot mast on 3rd floor balcony, total of about 23 feet above ground.


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## midwest_dxer

Tower Guy said:


> My 4228 is on a 125' tower. It's high enough, but I need more gain.


No problem,just duplicate this....20+db gain and extreme directivity.CM rotors need not apply.A Ham rotor such as a Yaesu G800 DXA with variable speed control is needed to slow the turning proccess enough to match the directivity of the stack.

http://community-2.webtv.net/GregBarker/NewTowerAntennas/

Wish I had a 125ft Tower.Can't have too much metal,or too much height when you're in the boonies!


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## Sharkie_Fan

MikeekiM said:


> How high did you mount your antenna?
> 
> And are you happy with the decision you made on the height?
> 
> I am in the Bay Area (Sunnyvale - 94087)...
> 
> My antenna installer is highly suggesting a 20 foot mast...
> 
> A friend of mine is recommending a 40 foot...but thinks a 30 foot at the very minimum....
> 
> I want to avoid an eyesore... but also want to ensure that I get a good signal...
> 
> Any comments and feedback appreciated!


I'm in Santa Cruz and put my antenna on the mount from the old 3LNB dish we used to have before the HR20 upgrade. I just have a Winegard GS2200 and I get all our stations here. (which happens to be a whopping 6!)

I would guess that with a similar setup you could probably pick up all your stations as well. The bulk of the SJ channels broadcast from Mt. St. Bruno. SF channels from Sutro.

The antenna I got is bidirectional, because most of my channels are in one spot, the one excpetion happens to be about 180* away, so this antenna works perfect for me....

Overall though, you're not looking at a ton of mileage to get all the SJ/SF channels, so I don't think you need a monstrosity!

I picked up my antenna on ebay for like $15, and I figured if it didn't work then I'd look into going bigger and better....


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## n2ubp

50 miles NW of NYC
8 foot pole with seperate UHF and FM antennas, rotor, CM 7777 preamp
On a ridge with about 600 feet elevation


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## katesguy

45.5 miles away from Chicago broadcast location for most channels and have a Phillips antenna from Menards in the attic generally facing the broadcasters and get all channels avail in Chicago with minor problems most likely associated with Ohare between me and the broadcasters. (occasional tiling fairly rare)


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## 4DThinker

My antenna(s) are in my very open large attic.

I have a small GPS device and can measure the actual elevation (within the GPS error margin) of my antenna. Does anyone know how or where to find out the above-sea-level altitude for the tranmitters atop TV station towers? 

My antennas are very directional and getting a pretty good signal from about 40 miles away. If those towers are a thousand feet higher than my antenna, for example, I wonder if a slight upward tilt of my antenna might get me a little stronger signal. Then again, a 1/211 slope isn't much. But if there is a more significant elevation difference, a little up-angle in my antenna "might" be worth it. I've got one tower 4.1 miles from me and the altitude difference may be much more significant. It's also been the hardest one to receive well.

Just a thought.


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## magellanmtb

terk slimline with amplifier located in the attic of a two story house. 40 miles N of NYC. Very happy with the decision for now, will see what happens in the spring when the leaves come back on the trees Now if I could effectively mount the 5lnb in the attic my wife would be extremely happy..


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## mssturgeon

4DThinker said:


> Does anyone know how or where to find out the above-sea-level altitude for the tranmitters atop TV station towers?


The map on our site will show HAAT (Hight Above Average Terrain) for the transmitters.

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/programming/broadcast.php

Just select your market and click the tower marker in question.

Cheers,

- Shane Sturgeon


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## Cholly

My AntennasDirect Lacrosse is mounted on its J-mount about 10 feet above the ground. It pulls in all the Charlotte digital UHF locals and a few distant stations very nicely.


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## cawgijoe

Missing checkbox........two story house with a five foot mast.


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## audiomaster

boylehome said:


> Now that the distant TV stations are broadcasting high power, my current antenna system is overkill. It works so well, I'll leave it alone.


Last roof I saw with that much hardware on it was owned by the CIA!!


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## breadman

I have a 91xg mounted on a 50ft tower.
P.S. I need about 30 more feet.


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## aramus8

Winegard SS1000 mounted on upstairs bedroom wall. Receive Salt Lake City stations at 85 to 100 percent at 100 miles from city center. Antenna inside as area is wind prone with peak gusts over 60 MPH several times per year. Also using 25db signal amp.


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## Radio Enginerd

Jim5506 said:


> My RS U75-R is mounted on a 28' telescoping mast based on the ground and attached to the roof peak of my house. I still have to use an urban pre-amp (Winegard HDP-269) to receive my two weak sisters (0.98kW and 0.96kW) from 6.5 miles away.


I too have an Radio Shack U75-R mounted on a 5ft mast to the fascia of my house. I've had amazing results picking up stations over 40 miles away (as the crow flies). I'm even pointed at my neighbors monster 2-story house and I'm still getting over 90% signal on all of my DTV stations.

I would *highly* recommend the U75-R!


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## Radio Enginerd

boylehome said:


> Now that the distant TV stations are broadcasting high power, my current antenna system is overkill. It works so well, I'll leave it alone.


WOW, that just looks cool! What do your neighbors think?

That would go over like a fart in church in my neighborhood.


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## Nick

Who gives a damn what the neighbors think? :lol: 

Check out the low elevation angle on that dish pointed at 61.5 from CA


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## AreBee

I have a two story home with a Winegard PR 7015 UHF/VHF antenna mounted in the attic with a Channelmaster CM 9510A remote contolled rotator.

Does a great job with all the stations within 40 miles which covers two markets. The only stations I have trouble with are the three PBS stations which are all at least 40 miles out in different directions.


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## richlife

mssturgeon said:


> The map on our site will show HAAT (Hight Above Average Terrain) for the transmitters.
> 
> http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/programming/broadcast.php
> 
> Just select your market and click the tower marker in question.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> - Shane Sturgeon


Great information, thanks! It helped me a lot when I was trying to figure out my problem a couple months back.


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## Shoshana

aramus8 said:


> Winegard SS1000 mounted on upstairs bedroom wall. Receive Salt Lake City stations at 85 to 100 percent at 100 miles from city center. Antenna inside as area is wind prone with peak gusts over 60 MPH several times per year. Also using 25db signal amp.


Our Winegard SS1000 is sitting on the floor in the corner of our guest bedroom - 2nd floor. We are about 10 miles from the antenna farm and get 94-100% signal strength. Eventually, the antenna will be going in the attic just so that we don't have to worry about guests tripping over the coax.


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