Cut the cord before it cuts you! Attic OTA TV antenna install

Рет қаралды 3,021

Күн бұрын

This is a fast paced end-to-end install of an attic OTA HDTV TV antenna with new coax run to the basement. I use a channel master CM-7779HD preamp to boost the signal from my 2-bay homebrew UHF antenna, which passes the signal to a Silicon Dust HDHomerun, making over the air TV available on my home network.
Some of the links below are affiliate links
⭐ 2-bay antenna build plans (Version A): imageevent.com/holl_ands/mult...
⭐ Supplies
• SiliconDust HDHomeRun Flex 4K: amzn.to/440y2tz
• Channel Master CM-7779HD Preamp: amzn.to/4aBCstA
• Solid Copper RG6Q Quad Coax Cable: amzn.to/3TVrEiQ
• Klein RG6 / RG6Q F-Type Coax Crimp Connectors: amzn.to/3xAZ8vd
• Coax Cable Clip (single): amzn.to/3vYbqxa
• Coax Cable Clip (double): amzn.to/43XBaq1
• Antenna Pole Mount: amzn.to/43ZAkJx
⭐ Tools
• Klein F-Type Coax Crimper: amzn.to/3Q0xrCq
• Coax Cable Stripper: amzn.to/4av2M8s
• Coax Cutters: amzn.to/4av2ApK
- Marketed for clipping nails on dogs, but they are excellent for cutting coax
• Micro Cutter: amzn.to/3xIghTG
• Throw Weight (can be used for a conduit drop): amzn.to/3Q1spWu
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Пікірлер: 19

@MostlyBuilds 3 ай бұрын

Note that the homebrew antenna that I'm using is a UHF only antenna. Depending on where you are located you might need one that supports VHF as well. rabbitears.info is a great resource if you are trying to determine what type of antenna you need. Also note that when crimping an F-type connector on coax, you should leave the last layer of foil intact. I mistakenly removed this from habit of putting PL295 connectors on ham radio coax.

@afnDavid 3 ай бұрын

I threw my TV set out the door and onto the lawn some 25 years ago. It made a very nice crunching sound. Life without TV is so very nice!

@RandomTechWZ 3 ай бұрын

Very nice. I have an RCA Yagi antenna in my attic and an HDHomeRun in my network rack in the utility room in the basement. Im using Plex to view all of the channels too, it works really well. You got lucky with that conduit running to the basement!

@MostlyBuilds 3 ай бұрын

Thanks! Yeah super lucky with the conduit. I need to set up plex!

@mattyryu 3 ай бұрын

Yeah I wanna see this rig hooked up to Plex!

@impossiblescissors 3 ай бұрын

Corsair hanging from the ceiling? Winning!

@Redpsyclone 3 ай бұрын

Wife and I just became first time homeowners and this has been a sticking issue for me. I want to have OTA reception and this makes it look like something we could both use!

@MostlyBuilds 3 ай бұрын

Ah congrats on the new house! This is a useful website for evaluating the conditions in your area: www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php If you try something at first and it doesn’t work well, try not to get discouraged. I get a sense that a lot of people give up really quickly when hitting an issue. It’s easy to start small with a cheap indoor antenna and move up to something more involved if that’s not working. I’m a big nerd when it comes to this stuff, so it’s fun for me. The antenna I used in this video cost me basically nothing because I made it. DIY isn’t for everyone though. There are lots of affordable antennas you can buy. Anyway, best of luck! Thanks for checking out the video.

@kensmith5694 3 ай бұрын

In addition to MostlyBuilds' comment: You may very well get some stations that the sites think are out of range. It happens where I am. A $10 set of rabbit ears would be a good start just to see if you get anything. Any antenna that claims a range greater than about 80 miles is almost certainly junk. The earth is curved and at 75 miles the towers will be below the horizon. The signal falls fast after that. Generally the bigger the lie about range, the worse junk the antenna is. Antennas with amplifiers built in are usually a bad idea. When the amplifier fails the antenna is junk. You can replace an external amplifier easily.

@frankcheney 3 ай бұрын

What are your thoughts on placing the HD Homerun in the attic and running cat 6 down to your basement vs your current setup?

@MostlyBuilds 3 ай бұрын

Great question. I thought about it. I decided against it because I was worried about the extreme temperatures in my attic killing the HDHomerun. If you live in a more temperate climate than I do, this might be a viable option. If I did put it in my attic then the antenna preamp wouldn’t have been necessary. I felt comfortable putting the preamp in the attic because it’s pretty rugged since it is designed for outdoor use. Maybe a bad assumption, but I figured it would be able to tolerate the temperature swings up there.

@frankcheney 3 ай бұрын

@@MostlyBuilds oh yes. You are right. The HDHR probably wouldn’t hold up very well with those attic temps. Thanks.

@jamesm568 3 ай бұрын

Remember folks that's a city antenna.

@markg1689 3 ай бұрын

Thanks

@kensmith5694 3 ай бұрын

I would have mounted the amplifier on the back of the wood behind the antenna. This would get it up higher. Also, it is a good idea to adjust the angle of the antenna to optimize it. The way I did this was not the best but I will explain it so people can get the idea. I laid an opened up cardboard box on the deck below the antenna. I pointed the antenna in a direction and marked its angle with a line on the box. I then looked at the signal strength and wrote that next to the mark. I then rotated the antenna 45 degrees and repeated. Once I had some 45 degree marks with two having the best signal, I split that 45 degree increment into 3 (2 new lines between) I could now see in 15 degree steps the signal strength. Once I had that, I could pick the two best and work out with some math where the ideal point is If you want to do some math just for fun: X = (signal3 - Signal1) / (2*Signal2 - Signal1 - Signal2) X is how far off the Signal2 angle to aim at -1 means Point to Signal1 -0.5 means half way between Signal1 and Signal2 0 means right at Signal2 0.5 means .... I hope you get the idea.

@MostlyBuilds 3 ай бұрын

Ah cool procedure. I adjusted it off camera but in a less scientific way. I used the HDHomerun web settings to view the signal strength while adjusting the angle and tested on the channels that were important to me until got a position I was happy with.

@kensmith5694 3 ай бұрын

@@MostlyBuilds My main point was for others who may be thinking about installing. They should see that the question can be "scienced". No pointy wizard's hat needed. Your project is within the grasp of many.

@MostlyBuilds 3 ай бұрын

@@kensmith5694Roger that. Thanks for adding the info!