strap antenna mast to chimney ??

Sep 24, 2012 26 Replies

I am looking at putting up a Digital TV antenna on the outside of the house



Because the outside is brick, I can only see 2 solutions for the mast



1) Tripod base on roof
2) Strap mast to brick chimney

Is strapping a mast to the chimney a viable solution If so, what is the best way to do it ?


Is this a trick question?

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you can get a strap kit at home depot. unless you're going through hurricanes frequently, they're just fine if the chimney is in good shape.

Thanks Not yet sure it's going to be a permanent install. But the Chimney is in good shape and is actually a 3 chimney stack - Furnace + 2 fireplaces.

Thanks Not yet sure it's going to be a permanent install. But the Chimney is in good shape and is actually a 3 chimney stack - Furnace + 2 fireplaces.

Before there was cable, everyone had an antenna on the roof of their house. A t least half of those were fastened to the chimney by straps that went around the chimney. Rich folks used stainless steeel straps, poorer folks used ordinary iron straps that rusted after a couple of years. It was one way to see who had more money without having to ask. So, if you want to impress folks, be sure to get a mounting kit with stainless steel straps.

If the chimney is in good shape, it is fine. There are strapping kits for that. Also if the pole goes to the roof, put a block of wood or other material between the roof and the pole to keep from cutting in to the roof.

One other thing to look at, if the antenna is on a chimney is how much the chimney is used and what is comming out of it. The gasses comming off the chimney may harm the antenna, rotator, or feed line.

millions of tv antennas were mounted this way. There's a kit to do it. Google is your friend.

Attic space not an option or eaves mount? How big and heavy is the antenna? There are various hardware kits available at places like RS.

= (m'

Fireplaces not used at all. They're the old style where more heat goes up the flue than goes into the house The furnace and ho water heater are vented separately now Looking at putting high efficiency gas fireplace into one. A modern wood-burner stove in the other as a "just-in-case" heat backup.. A friend put one in his basement, and he can heat a whole 2 storey house with it. But those plans are not future projects.

Already did. Although I've never seen one in actual use that I remember But was worried about possible damage to chimney

I wonder if a ratchet strap would work. Maybe attach the antenna mounting pipe to a treated 1x6 or 2x4. Strap the whole thing to the chimney.

From experience, strap to chimney is ok, BUT don't count on the strapping for real strength. The strength in a wind comes from how ell you do the guy wires. But putting the antenna up on a calm day is a lot easier. oh yeah watch out for the pole to accidentally punch the roof and causing a leak, so prevent that too

This is the antenna that was given me (free) It's supposed to be used outdoor Indoor causes about 50% performance loss, so indoor is not an option. Also attic insulation includes aluminum foil, so it would be probably

100% loss of performance.

I can walk the roof to the chimney stack, Eaves would require 3 floor ladder or leaning over roof edge to attach (not interested)

As others have said, using a chimney mount is quite easy, and secure if the chimney is in good condition. I've used them for decades at several different houses. If the masting is over 10 ft. and/or the antenna is large, it's best to guy the masting. I just installed a new chimney mount on my current house and bought a Channel Master 3080 chimney mount kit which has heavy duty brackets and 12 ft. long straps. I got it for $15 from Amazon.com. Some kits have straps that are only 6 feet long so measure your chimney before you buy.

Some still broadcast on VHF frequencies this antenna will not pick up. The numbers are small.

Greg

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Quite true.....the OP might want to go to

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and find out what "real frequency" their local channels are being broadcast on (versus the virtual channel numbers which mean nothing to the antenna). If any are real channel 2 thru 13 then a VHF/UHF combination antenna might be needed.

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Hmmm, It all depends how far the transmitter is what the channels are VHF or UHF,etc. I home brewed a log periodic antenna measuring ~4 feet boom length and ~3 feet wide at longest element. It covers VHF/UHF bands. Installed in the attic of my cabin 70 miles away from the city. My cabin roof is metal standing rib. This antenna work pretty good. No need to worry about wind or lightning.

Sometimes the government can be extra ingenious. When they did the move to DTV here all stations except one are now on UHF frequencies. It simplifies outdoor antennas so much...

Doesn't it, though? Sure is nice to have a use for all those signal combine= rs we've got lying around.

But just to be extra, EXTRA ingenious, during the transitional phase, those= same stations had their DTV signals on temporary UHF allocations. I mean, = no sense having a testing phase that actually mimics the proposed final con= ditions, right?

Hey, let's add another really, really clever bit: in the country's largest = market, let's make sure one of the stations whose signal will be reverting = to VHF after everyone's put up their UHF-only antennas ... is the one sendi= ng out the TV Guide On-Screen signal!

Chip C Toronto

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