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Grounding Antenna Tripod and Coax Questions

5K views 18 replies 5 participants last post by  stickboy1375 
#1 ·
Hey everyone, I am getting ready to install a tripod mounted antenna on my roof and I have some questions on what is the best way to ground both the tripod mount and the coax. I plan to use #10 copper and appropriate clamp on the tripod pipe and a ground block on the coax. The ground block will be where the coax enters the roof vent.

Here are my questions:

1). Do I need to run two separate ground wires, one from the tripod and one from the coax or can they be the same ground wire?


2). Do I run this one (or two) ground wires all the way back to my breaker panel grounding bus or take a shorter route and connect it into another set of grounding rods?

:help:
 
#2 ·
Usually two separate wires are run, one from the ground block and one from the antenna mast itself. Keep in mind there should be no sharp bends in the wire.

Also, antenna ground wires are connected directly to grounding rods, not the ground bus in the panel. I don't believe there are any rules keeping you from connecting it to your utility ground rod(s). But you can also drive a new rod(s) closer to the antenna if you like.
 
#3 ·
Get a ground rod and run your ground wire from the trypod to the ground rod. There is a conector for the coax that you will splice in the coax before it enters the house and it has a ground screw. If it enters the house wher the ground rod is attatch it to the ground rod if not the cold water pipe.
 
#4 ·
If you have enough room in the attic, just mount it up in there. Lasts longer, and easier to adjust if need be. I just put one up in my attic, due to not wanting to deal with putting holes into the roof, and plus I have enough height to get it up to 7 feet at the peak, which allowed for a UHF antenna at the top, and a VHF at the bottom.

Unless you are trying to get channels over 70 miles away, which is the limit for any outdoor antenna, a in the attic will work fine. I went with a Antennas Direct DB8 for UHF, and Antennacraft® Y5713 for VHF, along with a Channel Master CM-7778 pre-amp. All channels I get in my area are no farther than 50 miles away at most, and get 100% strength with this combo.
 
#5 ·
Gregzoll has good ideas.

I personally have had bad experiences with attic antennas and the new "digital" TV era (Don't even get me started:censored:).
Signals can get very picky with certain building materials, especially metal roofs and/or metal siding.

However, it is certainly an option to consider.
 
#6 ·
I already tried a in attic setup. I have a low roof line which limits space along with my ducts being in the attic for the AC. I could barely get the nearest station. I am getting a local station currently with an indoor leaf antenna on my main tv. I am adding the on roof antenna to hit the further stations out 60 miles plus. I am in a fringe area and nearly all the towers are a long ways away.

The little leaf antennas work great. I just wish I had closer towers...
 
#7 · (Edited)
It all depends on location, location, location. I get 92% for the local NBC that the towers are around 50 miles away, 100% with the towers within 20 miles away.

At the current way I have the antennas set up in the attached photo (77 degree for the UHF, 97 for the VHF), I pull the PBS tower that is 30 miles away South by Southwest (237 degrees on the compass), I get 88%.

It has nothing to do with hdtv, it all has to do with the power the towers are pushing out, and what is between you and them. For informational purposes, this is what my tvfool shows, so you can see why I have good luck with the equipment I listed before http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=1dda4d5e78765f At the right time of day, I can actually pick up the towers from Peoria, IL, without having to move the UHF as it is.

Once the Chimney comes down at the end of the month, I am actually going to move the setup over and back about two feet, to raise the UHF up even more to the peak of the roof, along with the VHF up about a foot and a half.
 

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#9 ·
Gregzoll, Sorry to be off topic...I was wondering if you used that preamp for both those antennas? It's hard to see in the photo.
I was wondering because I was thinking about powering two antennas with one preamp, but wasn't sure if the results would work out well.

And I agree, it really is all about location, location, location.
 
#12 ·
It is a UHF/VHF pre-amp, but you have to use a UHF/VHF splitter/combiner, which is actually hiding in that pic, just where the bottom of the UHF is, on the front side that you cannot see it at. I used 1 1/2 foot RG6 cables from monoprice for the UHF to Splitter, Pre-Amp to splitter.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Post your results from it, along with the map showing towers from your city, with the lines showing your location to the towers. The radar tends to get a little cluttered when you try to figure it out.

It is amazing what you can do with a old shower rod to help extend the old piece of 1" 1/4 PVC pipe that I had laying around. Did have to patch a couple of holes that I made, when doing the cable pull. One in the ceiling where I miss judged the plate, due to they used 6 inch wide plywood on the top plates, for the gyprock to attach to, and another hole, where I thought I would not hit the cripple above the heat vent in the bedroom, and had to move the catv wall plate up four inches. You live and learn.

Of course, got to go out and purchase a set of Fish sticks, to get down the wall, due to the BX at above where I placed the box for the outlet, I could not get my fish tape around.
 
#11 ·
Post your TV fool, and ditch the Leaf antenna. The two I have, are great, especially the DB8. If in a fringe area, you would need the CM-7777 pre-amp, or even the Winegard for long range. Without the VHF, I can pull 7-13 with the DB8, but just did not get the local CBS, without having to crawl up there and move the antenna to get it, and even without the amp, was pulling it in at 65-72%.

OTA is a lost art, and people are starting to re-learn what our great grandfathers, grandfathers & fathers grew up around. If I had to figure cost on the mount, pre-amp, antennas, parts, I would have to say that I probably spent close to $200, just so I can get five sub-channels that UVerse does not offer, but also have a stand by if my ATT UVerse goes out like it did back in January down south.
 
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