HD antenna installation question

[badgolferman]

I'm thinking of installing an HD antenna either in the attic or on the roof to be rid of cable video. However I'm wondering if I can hook up the antenna to the existing coax in the attic that runs to the various rooms in my house. Will one antenna work on 2+ TVs at the same time?

The national network stations are at least 30 miles away, but they're all in the same general direction so I'm thinking a directional antenna would work. I do have a large maple tree in the direct line of sight though. Not sure if that will be a problem.

[trader_4]

You can try it. The more cable runs, the more splits and things sharing the signal from the antenna, the weaker it will be. But it only has to be go od enough to work, extra doesn't get you anything more. There are amplifi ers available to boost the signal if you need to split it and that may work too. Used to be a website antennaweb.org I think where you could put your location in and it would show what you could receive,what direction and wh at kind of antenna is recommended.

[Arnie Goetchius]

Make sure your TV sets have a digital tuner so you can receive all the channels you now get on cable video. Any set built from 2007 on should have a digital tuner. I you have a set older than 2007 you would have to buy an external digital tuner and feed that with the coax.

[Meanie]

I use an omni-directional OTA antenna with a 100 mile range installed 10 feet from the highest pitch of my home. This eliminates the need to point the antenna in the direction of a signal and will grab signals from 360 degrees.

Yes, you can use the existing coaxial cables and one antenna will work for 2 TVs and more. Though, keep in mind, with each split to a different device, you lose signal strength. Therefore, use an amplified splitter. But with only 2 TVs, you will not notice much signal loss.

Usually, a tree will not cause a problem but the higher you mount the antenna, the better.

[makolber]

Its a good idea to run a ground wire from the antenna mast to cold water pipe or other ground in your house and to a ground rod outside.

Lightning is a rare but possible issue.

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