Mounting MY OTA Antenna...do I have all I need?

[Ghpr13]

I'm having someone mount my Winegard HD9095P antenna on my roof in a few days (if the rain ever stops), and I wanted to know if I have everything I will need for the installation. This is what I'm ordering:

TR-36 Penetrating Heavy Duty Tripod 36"

EZ5-16S 5 Foot by 1.25" OD 16 AWG Swaged Antenna Mast

50 Foot Sections of Plastic Coated Antenna Mast Down Guy Wire EZ 60

Should that do it?
Thanks for all replies!

Ghpr13

 

[sergei]

In my opinion you're not going to need the guy wire as the antenna is only 8 lbs, so if the guy installs the the tripod correctly then that should be enough for what your installing. Even if you were to add a rotor the weight still isn't that much more.

Something you might need would be a grounding block or a lighting arrestor for the RG6

 

[Don_M]

Something you might need would be a grounding block or a lighting arrestor for the RG6

+1. The mast (but not the antenna itself) must be grounded with 10 AWG copper or 8 AWG aluminum uninsulated wire. The wire must run continuously (i.e., no splices) from a mast bolt to the ground for the building's electrical system. If it's impractical to run a direct line to the house's ground rod, the antenna ground line may be routed to either a second ground rod or a metal cold-water pipe that runs outdoors, but this secondary ground must be "bonded" to the main ground through a second wire routed around the outside perimeter of the house. The antenna ground line may be routed through the ground block for convenience.

The materials are inexpensive – ~$20 or so – but the protection is invaluable. If the mast is not grounded or improperly grounded, the antenna could become a lightning rod and/or collect and discharge enough static electricity to ruin the electronics connected to it.

 

[sergei]

+1. The mast (but not the antenna itself) must be grounded with 10 AWG copper or 8 AWG aluminum uninsulated wire. The wire must run continuously (i.e., no splices) from a mast bolt to the ground for the building's electrical system. If it's impractical to run a direct line to the house's ground rod, the antenna ground line may be routed to either a second ground rod or a metal cold-water pipe that runs outdoors, but this secondary ground must be "bonded" to the main ground through a second wire routed around the outside perimeter of the house. The antenna ground line may be routed through the ground block for convenience.

The materials are inexpensive – ~$20 or so – but the protection is invaluable. If the mast is not grounded or improperly grounded, the antenna could become a lightning rod and/or collect and discharge enough static electricity to ruin the electronics connected to it.

Good point, but not many installations that I've seen will people add a second ground to the mast. It's sometimes hard to even find anything grounded to the antenna system correctly. If he uses a grounding block for the RG6 at the entry point or inside and ground it to his electrical grounding point ,electrical box or the homes ground rod then that should take care of any static build up on the antenna and mast.. I don't recommend using a water pipe due to the fact that corrosion can destroy the path or the resistant could be real high which defeats the grounding. For added protection make sure you plug the TV and other components into a good grounded power strip.

 

[Ghpr13]

In my opinion you're not going to need the guy wire as the antenna is only 8 lbs, so if the guy installs the the tripod correctly then that should be enough for what your installing. Even if you were to add a rotor the weight still isn't that much more.

Something you might need would be a grounding block or a lighting arrestor for the RG6

sergei,
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate the info on both the guy wires and the grounding block. I hadn't even thought of the grounding block.

+1. The mast (but not the antenna itself) must be grounded with 10 AWG copper or 8 AWG aluminum uninsulated wire. The wire must run continuously (i.e., no splices) from a mast bolt to the ground for the building's electrical system. If it's impractical to run a direct line to the house's ground rod, the antenna ground line may be routed to either a second ground rod or a metal cold-water pipe that runs outdoors, but this secondary ground must be "bonded" to the main ground through a second wire routed around the outside perimeter of the house. The antenna ground line may be routed through the ground block for convenience.

The materials are inexpensive – ~$20 or so – but the protection is invaluable. If the mast is not grounded or improperly grounded, the antenna could become a lightning rod and/or collect and discharge enough static electricity to ruin the electronics connected to it.

Don_M,
Thank you also for your insight into properly grounding the antenna. For some reason the grounding of the antenna just slipped my mind. I'm glad I posted on SatellitesGuys for help. The members here always help out.

Good point, but not many installations that I've seen will people add a second ground to the mast. It's sometimes hard to even find anything grounded to the antenna system correctly. If he uses a grounding block for the RG6 at the entry point or inside and ground it to his electrical grounding point ,electrical box or the homes ground rod then that should take care of any static build up on the antenna and mast.. I don't recommend using a water pipe due to the fact that corrosion can destroy the path or the resistant could be real high which defeats the grounding. For added protection make sure you plug the TV and other components into a good grounded power strip.

sergei,
Again, thank you. This is great info that I needed to know...Even if I'm not doing the installation myself (too old to climb a roof), I need to know that the installation is being done correctly and safely.

You all have been a big help,
Ghpr13

 

[Ghpr13]

OK. After reading the replies here I'm ordering these items in addition to what I had listed above:
Viewsonics VSGB1GTSS Coaxial Cable TV Surge Protector

Holland GRB-1 Single Connector Coaxial Cable Ground Block

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10216&cs_id=1021603&p_id=4062&seq=1&format=2

And I have deleted the guy wire from my order.

One other question I have is about the Pitch Pads. I rent an old house (therefore an old roof, but a good roof), should the Pitch Pads take care of any leaking of the mounts?
Again, thanks to all who reply,
Ghpr13

 

[boba]

I wouldn't go as far as sayung the pitch pads would take care of leaking but they will sure help seal the lag screw holes.

 

[Ghpr13]

I wouldn't go as far as sayung the pitch pads would take care of leaking but they will sure help seal the lag screw holes.

Is there a certain procedure for "leak proofing" the mounting hardware?

Ghpr13

 

[boba]

Is there a certain procedure for "leak proofing" the mounting hardware?

Ghpr13

Keep it out of the rain!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mike500]

I don't know who thought of "pitch pads." They've been around since the "Golden Age of Television," when antennas were the only option for getting a television signal.

I haven't used "pitch pads" for 20 years. Here's the reason why.

The roof shingles are held to the roof by 4 to 6 roofing nails. The bond of the roof to the deck and the deck (OSB or plywood) to the rafters is, again held by a few nails. With "pitch pads," you basically glue the tripod legs to the shingles. That means if the antenna blows off ot the roof, the assembly shears off at the weakest point. The shingles are ripped off of the roof with the tripod.

The tripod base surface needs NO sealing at the point of contact with the shingles. Driving a screw through the "pitch" pad means that a little of the sealant gets on the screw threads and a little satays unde the head and is basically sqeezed out as the head pulls down the metal mounting flange of the tripod base.

Put the sealant, where it is most needed.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, driving screws through asphalt shingles "without" sealant offers better sealing than with using "pitch pads."

I use a #14 sheet metal screw with a 3/8 inch hex washer head. This is what is usually supplied with tripod and antenna mounts.

The screw is hardened and is tough enough to be driven trough the shingles, the roof deck and into the rafters wihout predrilling.

The heat generated by the friction of the screw going in will "melt" the asphalt in the shingles, and the asphalt will cool to form a good seal around both the threads and the head.

If you want addional sealing, I drive each screw down and leave an inch or so sticking out. Then, with a cheap solder brush, I "paint" rooding cement under the head and the remaining inch of the threads. That would add additional sealing, where sealing is really needed and does the most good. To prevent rusting, I'd "paint" the neads with a dab of roofing cement.

Done this way, if the antenna is ripped off of the roof, the shingles stay on the roof with little damage.

Later, the removal of the antenna and tripod leaves a "virtually" clean roof and very small 1/4 inch holes to seal with roofing cement.

When sealed, the repair is "nearly invisible" from the ground.

 

[Mr Tony]

I just drilled the screws into the tripod and the roof and then black jack (roof sealer...black jack is a brand name) the hell out of it
Heck my one antenna I didnt put black jack on it until this spring...no issues

 

[Ghpr13]

I don't know who thought of "pitch pads." They've been around since the "Golden Age of Television," when antennas were the only option for getting a television signal.

I haven't used "pitch pads" for 20 years. Here's the reason why.

The roof shingles are held to the roof by 4 to 6 roofing nails. The bond of the roof to the deck and the deck (OSB or plywood) to the rafters is, again held by a few nails. With "pitch pads," you basically glue the tripod legs to the shingles. That means if the antenna blows off ot the roof, the assembly shears off at the weakest point. The shingles are ripped off of the roof with the tripod.

The tripod base surface needs NO sealing at the point of contact with the shingles. Driving a screw through the "pitch" pad means that a little of the sealant gets on the screw threads and a little satays unde the head and is basically sqeezed out as the head pulls down the metal mounting flange of the tripod base.

Put the sealant, where it is most needed.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, driving screws through asphalt shingles "without" sealant offers better sealing than with using "pitch pads."

I use a #14 sheet metal screw with a 3/8 inch hex washer head. This is what is usually supplied with tripod and antenna mounts.

The screw is hardened and is tough enough to be driven trough the shingles, the roof deck and into the rafters wihout predrilling.

The heat generated by the friction of the screw going in will "melt" the asphalt in the shingles, and the asphalt will cool to form a good seal around both the threads and the head.

If you want addional sealing, I drive each screw down and leave an inch or so sticking out. Then, with a cheap solder brush, I "paint" rooding cement under the head and the remaining inch of the threads. That would add additional sealing, where sealing is really needed and does the most good. To prevent rusting, I'd "paint" the neads with a dab of roofing cement.

Done this way, if the antenna is ripped off of the roof, the shingles stay on the roof with little damage.

Later, the removal of the antenna and tripod leaves a "virtually" clean roof and very small 1/4 inch holes to seal with roofing cement.

When sealed, the repair is "nearly invisible" from the ground.

I just drilled the screws into the tripod and the roof and then black jack (roof sealer...black jack is a brand name) the hell out of it
Heck my one antenna I didnt put black jack on it until this spring...no issues

Mike500 & Iceberg,

Thank you both. After I posted my question about the roof, I started thinking that Dish came out last spring and moved my dish to the roof for better LOS because of a tree. Now I never inquired as to how they attached it to the roof, but I haven't had a problem with leaks, and the installer sure wasn't up there a real long time.

I appreciated all the help from everyone here on getting this antenna mounted correctly. I've had the antenna for about a month now but with all the rain, no one could put it up for me. I really anxious to get it up so I can start using my OTA tuner on my 722k. I've had the tuner for about 4 months I think.

Ghpr13

 

[Ghpr13]

Well I finally got my antenna installed. I found someone off of Craig's List to install it for me. Actually, I found 2 people. The first guy acted like he had never seen an antenna before and was quite in awe of it. Plus, at the last minute, he decided he didn't have all the tools he needed. I thought it best to just thank him for coming out, and get someone else for the job. So I found another guy that came out yesterday and he was able to do the install. Everything went good, and this morning we had some thunderstorms pass over and thankfully the antenna is still up there. Also, even with a lot of lightning strikes this morning, none hit the antenna.

I hooked it up today to the OTA Mod in my 722K. I also hooked it up to my TV and my DVDR. All 3 were able to pull in almost all of the stations I was hoping for. A couple of stations are not coming in, so I think I need to adjust the antenna's direction some.

All in all, I'm pleased. And thanks again to everyone who gave me info helping me to make sure I did things right.

Ghpr13

 

[Ghpr13]

Just want to ask for some advice here. The two channels I'm having trouble with are high VHF channels. One is ABC and the other one is RTV (Retro TV). My antenna, again, is a Winegard HD9095P.
Thanks,
Ghpr13

 

[Mr Tony]

Well a couple thoughts
The antenna is UHF only which does hinder VHF Hi reception...but it should work decent on VHF Hi

The only station I see in Louisville that is RTV is the Ion station (WBNA 21 RF8)....the issue with them is they are 180 degrees opposite the Louisville stations (WBNA is the only full-power broadcaster in the Louisville market whose tower is not located at the Kentuckiana tower farm in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. WBNA instead transmits from a tower 15 miles (24 km) directly south of Louisville, off Oakcrest Drive in Shepherdsville.). Its only 5 miles away (according to tvfool) so you shouldnt have that much issues

Do the signals come in at all or are they just not stable?

 

[Ghpr13]

Well a couple thoughts
The antenna is UHF only which does hinder VHF Hi reception...but it should work decent on VHF Hi

The only station I see in Louisville that is RTV is the Ion station (WBNA 21 RF8)....the issue with them is they are 180 degrees opposite the Louisville stations (WBNA is the only full-power broadcaster in the Louisville market whose tower is not located at the Kentuckiana tower farm in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. WBNA instead transmits from a tower 15 miles (24 km) directly south of Louisville, off Oakcrest Drive in Shepherdsville.). Its only 5 miles away (according to tvfool) so you shouldnt have that much issues

Do the signals come in at all or are they just not stable?

Iceberg,
Thanks for your reply. I did know about RTV location, but I thought, like you mention, it wouldn't be much of an issue.

Now for some more details...I'm not getting any signal for RTV or ABC on any of my tuners. I have the Dish's OTA mod, my Samsung LCD tuner, or my Philips DVDR tuner.

I had added a small UHF/VHF antenna (link below) above the HD9095P and attached the RG6 cable to the VHF coupling input on the HD9095P. The main RG6 cable coming off the antenna to my TV room is about 60/65 feet and is sent though a 4-way splitter, one cable to each tuner. I am not using the power amp that came with the UHF/VHF antenna.

This being new to me, my gut feeling is that I need to take a close look at the direction both antennas are facing and do some "fine tuning" in the direction of both.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...d=1090102&p_id=4730&seq=1&format=1#largeimage

Iceberg, what is your take?

Thanks again,
Ghpr13

 

[boba]

Iceberg,
Thanks for your reply. I did know about RTV location, but I thought, like you mention, it wouldn't be much of an issue.

Now for some more details...I'm not getting any signal for RTV or ABC on any of my tuners. I have the Dish's OTA mod, my Samsung LCD tuner, or my Philips DVDR tuner.

I had added a small UHF/VHF antenna (link below) above the HD9095P and attached the RG6 cable to the VHF coupling input on the HD9095P. The main RG6 cable coming off the antenna to my TV room is about 60/65 feet and is sent though a 4-way splitter, one cable to each tuner. I am not using the power amp that came with the UHF/VHF antenna.

This being new to me, my gut feeling is that I need to take a close look at the direction both antennas are facing and do some "fine tuning" in the direction of both.

For only $16.46 each when QTY 50+ purchased - HDTV Indoor / Outdoor Antenna | Outdoor HD Antennas

Iceberg, what is your take?

Thanks again,
Ghpr13

Try removing the HD9095P and connecting directly to the monoprice antenna using the power supply and see what you get on that setup. The monoprice antenna will not work without the power supply. The HD9095P is very directional so picking up from behind will be hard.

 

[Ghpr13]

Try removing the HD9095P and connecting directly to the monoprice antenna using the power supply and see what you get on that setup. The monoprice antenna will not work without the power supply. The HD9095P is very directional so picking up from behind will be hard.

boba,
I have 2 questions. 1)What if I just connected the power supply directly to the RG6 cable right before my 4-way splitter? Would that affect the signals from the HD9095P on the UHF channels?
And 2) Would I be better off just to purchase this VHF antenna (see Link) and add it on top of my HD9095P?
http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-HD-1...TGQU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1308270144&sr=8-2

Oh...that's really 3 questions.
BTW: Thanks for your original reply!

Ghpr13

 

[Mr Tony]

for a VHF only antenna I'd use something like this
AntennaCraft Y5-7-13 Highband-Broadband VHF HD Yagi TV Antenna for Channels 7-13 (Y5-7-13) - AntennaCraft - Y5-7-13 - 716079000987

I have the bigger one but I use it specifically for a station 72 miles away. Thats this one
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.as...enna--(Y10713)&c=TV Antennas&sku=716079000994

As for the other one you posted, the power supply is required and there cant be anything between the two. Just the cable so you would have to combine them in the house somewhere (and have 2 cables coming off the roof)

The one I posted you might be able to find something like it at Radio Shack

 

[Ghpr13]

for a VHF only antenna I'd use something like this
AntennaCraft Y5-7-13 Highband-Broadband VHF HD Yagi TV Antenna for Channels 7-13 (Y5-7-13) - AntennaCraft - Y5-7-13 - 716079000987

I have the bigger one but I use it specifically for a station 72 miles away. Thats this one
Antennacraft Y10-7-13 Highband-Broadband VHF TV Antenna (Y10-7-13) - Antennacraft - Y10-7-13 - 716079000994

As for the other one you posted, the power supply is required and there cant be anything between the two. Just the cable so you would have to combine them in the house somewhere (and have 2 cables coming off the roof)

The one I posted you might be able to find something like it at Radio Shack

Iceberg,
Thanks. I think what I'll try to do is find one like the AntennaCraft Y5-7-13 and add that to what I have, taking down the MonoPrice antenna. For now I added the power unit to the cable right before my 4-way splitter, and that has pulled in ABC (channel 11) on all of my tuners, but I still can't get channel 21.04 (or 21.03,.02, .01) and 21.04 is RTV the main station I wanted with ABC the second one, just so my wife can watch her "Dancing with the Stars" w/o stopping things I recording.
Thanks, again,
Ghpr13