OT: What do I need for an Attic antenna for OTA HDTV?

[dleewo]

I want to install an antenna in my attic and I'm trying to figure out what I need. I want to receive OTA HDTV. My wife currently has a Db2 antenna in her office and it works great, but it's rather ugly.

I want a single attic antenna to be able to supply signals to 4 TVs.

I'm thinking of a DB4 which would be better than the DB2 and compensate for the roofing materials (shingle). Or is there another antenna that would be better?

http://www.antennasdirect.com/DB4_HDTV_antenna.html

and I *think* I would need this DA4 Output Distribution Amplifier so I can hook up 4 TVs (at the bottom of the following page):

http://antennasdirect.com/antenna_amplifier.html

Do I need a "pre-amp" also?

[mlomker]

The preamp is designed for overcoming the attenuation of a long cable run to your distribution amp. Whether you need one would depend upon how far the amp is going to be from your antenna.

The website mentioned that there's a 50% signal loss going through the roof, so the larger antenna seems wise to me. I live too close to the transmitters which poses other problems, such as multipath and the antenna being very directional...OTA takes some tweaking no matter where you live.

[dleewo]

Originally Posted by mlomker

The preamp is designed for overcoming the attenuation of a long cable run to your distribution amp. Whether you need one would depend upon how far the amp is going to be from your antenna.

I plan to put the distribution amp pretty close to the antenna...maybe with a 2-3 foot cable so I guess I don't need a pre-amp.

Originally Posted by mlomker

The website mentioned that there's a 50% signal loss going through the roof, so the larger antenna seems wise to me. I live too close to the transmitters which poses other problems, such as multipath and the antenna being very directional...OTA takes some tweaking no matter where you live.

antennaweb.org says that the furthest station is 5.5 miles away and they are all within 3 degress of each other so I don't think I should have too much issues.

[mrphil1]

An attic is practically the worst place to install an OTA antenna, due to ductwork, hundreds of nails, and the roofing material which blocks/creates interference with the signal. I'd suggest reviewing the links below which might help you decide on which antenna is best for your situation and the best place to install it, what's the best feedline, as well as the pros/cons of a preamp. Hope you find this info helpful.

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html

http://www.highdefinitionblog.com/?page_id=131

http://www.hometheaterspot.com/htsth...?Number=669189

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=41102

http://www.highdefforum.com/showthre...t=15398&page=2

http://www.tinlee.com/TV_Signal_Distibution.htm