How should I mount this antenna?

(the black lines are each 1ft sections in vertical length.)

I just purchased the discone antenna and need mounting ideas. This seems the best place on the house. I cannot mount the antenna directly on the roof. After a tornado hit our home we had our roof replaced and if we drill/screw into it the warranty will be voided. I was originally thinking about a gable mount at the peak but I am unsure if I will be able to get that high up with my extension ladder. My second idea was to use two or more wall mounts that stick out past the overhang and mount them at window level but just use a longer mast for the antenna long enough to go past the peak.

Thoughts??

Mount it on the gable end. Access it from the roof. Lay on the roof and lean over just far enough to do the work.
Or, get a taller ladder.

Antenna height is directly linked to how well your antenna will hear.

Wall mounts would work, but it's likely going to be a bit harder to install, just my opinion. Looks like you have a good plan, though. If you are in tornado country, you should be concerned about lightning also. Bring a #6 copper stranded ground wire straight down from the antenna mount to a ground rod. Looks like your electric utility feed comes in to the left of the mount, so there should be a ground rod there. Attach the ground wire to help with static dissipation and safety.

mmckenna said:

Mount it on the gable end. Access it from the roof. Lay on the roof and lean over just far enough to do the work.
Or, get a taller ladder.

Antenna height is directly linked to how well your antenna will hear.

Wall mounts would work, but it's likely going to be a bit harder to install, just my opinion. Looks like you have a good plan, though. If you are in tornado country, you should be concerned about lightning also. Bring a #6 copper stranded ground wire straight down from the antenna mount to a ground rod. Looks like your electric utility feed comes in to the left of the mount, so there should be a ground rod there. Attach the ground wire to help with static dissipation and safety.

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Yeah I was going to see if I can borrow a roof ladder from my fire dept than just hook it over the peak and lay on it leaning over just enough for a gable mount. Yes it will be grounded and yes there is a brand new grounding system that was installed by the power company after the tornado hit so I can tap into that.

I have a friend who works for the local cable company that has a 30ft ladder I might be able to borrow but honestly I dont know if that will work either because the ladder needs to extend beyond the peak from the ground to do it safely.

Got room in the attic? I keep a discone there as a backup 2m/70cm antenna in case of storm damage to my primaries.

profiledescent said:

Got room in the attic? I keep a discone there as a backup 2m/70cm antenna in case of storm damage to my primaries.

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No room in the attic without taking the top element off of the antenna. I rather put it outside on the house, I like the challenge.

Have any vent pipes? Discone's are very light

lost_in_maine said:

Have any vent pipes? Discone's are very light

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Yes, on the other side of the roof, the west side but they also are newly replaced after the tornado and are low profile and pretty small.

I have decided to use these two mounting solutions. I was trying to figure out a way to mount the antenna on the roof without voiding the current warranty of the new roof. I found a base that attached under the shingles that does not void warranties. This also keeps me from having to lean over the edge of the house and try to mount the antenna with only my left hand.

Base
Dish Mounting System - Commdeck - RSTC Enterprises
Mast adapter
Dish Mounting System - Commdeck - RSTC Enterprises

That sounds like an excellent solution. Doing it safely is #1. The Dish TV mount will work just fine for a small discone, and the way it mounts should work well. Grounding the antenna mount will help reduce some of the static build up. Use some good high grade coaxial cable and you'll have a nice set up.

mmckenna said:

That sounds like an excellent solution. Doing it safely is #1. The Dish TV mount will work just fine for a small discone, and the way it mounts should work well. Grounding the antenna mount will help reduce some of the static build up. Use some good high grade coaxial cable and you'll have a nice set up.

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The cable is what Im searching for now but would really like to not order it if at all possible. Not sure which my best option would be. Im looking at about 50-60 feet of line.

Well, here's my opinion, take it at face value...

RG 8 coax is everyones favorite whipping boy. Seems like everyone who wants to sound like they know what they are talking about will bad mouth RG-8 coaxial cable. Sure, it isn't the best, but it is not, by far, the worst. I've run Radio Shack RG-8 coax in places where it was "good enough". If that is the only cable you can find, it's sufficient. Radio Shack used to sell 50 feet of pre-terminated RG-8 in a box for a reasonable amount. If you don't have a source of higher grade cable, it will certainly work.

As with anything, there is always going to be something better. You can chase that better product and never catch up.

My opinion is that if RG-8 is what you have, or have access to, then it will work just fine.

There are better cables out there, and if you shop around you can find them for the same price at the radio shack stuff. If you don't want to wait for that, then do what you can. It -will- work.

Down the road when you have time/funds, you can always upgrade, but for getting things working now, RG-8 would be fine.

If you have the time to order it, look at the Times Microwave LMR-400, it's good stuff, a bit better than the RG-8, but it isn't the be all, end all coax that will solve all issues. It's a higher grade than the average consumer stuff, but don't expect miracles. If you can, go with something better. LMR-600 will give you less loss and better performance on the high frequencies. It's still workable stuff, a bit stiff, but still flexible enough. You can rapidly escalate from there, and no doubt someone will chime in what they think the ultimate cable is, but that list can go on and on.

The important thing to do is to keep any and all cables as short as possible, this is the easiest thing you can do to help performance. Unless you have the experience, get the cable connectors installed by someone who really knows what they are doing. Also, do put all this effort into your antenna system and not properly weather seal everything. No point in doing all this and have it start to deteriorate after a few months.

eBay My World - sagemaiden pm her the length and connections you need and she will get you the custom setup you need ive used her in the past and she really helped me out

mmckenna -

I agree with your RG-8 comment to a limit... RG-8 in general is a fine cable but the RG8 that Radio Shack sells is absolute junk. Stay away from it. I've been lucky to have a SpecAn with a tracking generator to check attenuation and freq response of several brands of coax over the past few years.

Belden 9913 seems to be the most reliable, but the most money.

Wireman CQ106 held up there with the 9913 but cost about 2/3 the price of the 9913. Held reliably to 2.4GHz (in a pinch).

Tandy coax (RadioShack - I can edit later with a full part number if anyone cares) was worse than working with hardline (sun didn't even soften the outer jacket up so it could bend) and the measurements were along the lines of RG-58 expecations @ 100ft. Completely dropped off my charts above 1.4GHz. (SpecAn swept to 3GHz)

As a hobby, any transmission line you can get your hands on cheaply or free is the best stuff you can get.

As a professional, the deeper pockets you have....

I am using Times Microwave LMR-400 on my discone...
And got it here, http://www.ebay.com/itm/LMR400-Ante...ectional_Network_Antennas&hash=item4ce8dc7318

I will likely go with a lmr cable of some type. right now my main concern is where im going to borrow a ladder from. I can borrow one from my fire dept but not sure how to transport it.

AlabamaWeather said:

I will likely go with a lmr cable of some type. right now my main concern is where im going to borrow a ladder from. I can borrow one from my fire dept but not sure how to transport it.

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Well, I have a suggestion, but it won't be legal....

The LMR cable is a good choice. If you can get it within your timeframe, that is. The price varies greatly, so shop around, but be vary suspicious of deals that are too good to be true. There are cases of counterfeit cable coming out of China that don't meet specifications.

KC8ESL,
I agree, and I have the same gear here in my shop at work. Radio Shack RG8 is pretty crappy as cable goes, but it does work. Expecting it to work up in the 1GHz range is really stretching it though. For VHF and UHF short runs, its good enough for hobby use. Keeping things affordable is important when we are looking at hobbies. There will always be better cables out there....

I wouldn't need a ladder..I'd go out that window over the porch , and make it to the peak..
Was out adding new coax to my beam today, and rotor cable..

mmckenna said:

Well, I have a suggestion, but it won't be legal......

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Lets hear it??

reconrider8 said:

eBay My World - sagemaiden pm her the length and connections you need and she will get you the custom setup you need ive used her in the past and she really helped me out

Click to expand...

Yes..I bought 50ft from her, and got whatever connectors I wanted..They also do custom lengths...
Free Shipping, Too

AlabamaWeather said:

Lets hear it??

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Call 911, they'll bring a ladder.

mmckenna said:

Call 911, they'll bring a ladder.

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Lol I am 911, we don't provide those services. I'll likely just borrow a roof ladder from the station. Anything with hooks on it so I can use it to lay against the pitch of the roof so I can step up it and mount it to my left.