Attic Installed Antennas

[wtrubelasr]

Contemplating a indoor attic installation and would like pros and cons
Easier to maintain and out of the unforgiving weather.
any input is appreciated

 

[Hit_Factor]

Antennas installed indoors don't work as well.

Outdoor antennas are weatherproof, don't worry about them.

Antennas installed during inclement weather events work better.

If you instal it indoors, you will always wonder if it will work better outdoors.

If you don't raise it up to the sky, you will always wonder if it will work better higher up.

 

[W8WCA]

Antenna's can and do work OK in an attic.
If you have A/C Lines in attic that can be an issue - best to keep the wire/antenna as far away from them as you can.
That said they do not work quite as well as the same Antenna Outside.

 

[mmckenna]

You need to pay close attention to the roofing materials and make sure there is no metal/RF opaque materials used. Foil backed insulation/vapor barrier is another concern.

Inside mounting puts the antenna closer to RF noise sources inside your home.
It puts it in close proximity to electrical wiring, metal pipes, HVAC ducts, etc.

Inside antennas do not protect it from lighting or nearby strikes.

Weather shouldn't be an issue with a good antenna and proper connector waterproofing. Maintenance is minimal if you install it correctly.
Height greatly helps with range.

But if you don't need range and it's a really strong signal you are trying to receive, then in the attic would be fine if it works for you.

 

[sflmonitor]

Like others have said, attic-mounted antennas can work fine but it depends on the roofing materials and other factors physically surrounding or close to the antenna. I have had a discone for scanning and a dual band for ham and they served their purpose. My reason for attic mounting was the HOA restrictions but now that I moved, my antenna is mounted outside. I honestly think outside mounting will provide better results.

 

[W9WSS]

Lots of families move into a residence that an HOA controls. Outside antennas are usually prohibited, so you'll have to make do with some antennas in your attic or hidden from view in a tree or other structure. I would never have anyone telling me where I can install antennas as I live in a single-family home incorporated in a municipality. It reminds me of those who want excellent performance with a magnetic-base mobile installation as opposed to a permanently mounted NMO-based drilled-in antenna. You do what you have to do with what you have available in your own situation.

 

[wtrubelasr]

Thanks for the honest reply I just hope this is the last time I will be climbing a ladder

 

[rk911]

Only con I can think of is performance. Attic antennas work OK but, absent a band opening, don't expect DX. Antennas may be all-weather but coax exposed to the elements needs to be replaced sooner or later.

 

[ofd8001]

A question to ask yourself, "just how far away are you attempting to receive?" If all you are looking for is a local simulcast system, then it doesn't matter.

Where you live may be a consideration. In a valley, then outside is better. In a high area, attic may be satisfactory assuming no RF noise.

If you do opt for an outside antenna, please be sure you ground it, as an antenna could easily become a lightning rod.

In my garage, I have a couple of attic antennas and I'm happy with them. For my office part, I have an exterior and I'm happy with that, other than the wind moving it somewhat.

The cable from the antenna to the scanner is a factor too. Get the best you can afford.

 

[Jondrew55]

I just got a Diamond D3000N Discone antenna. My intention was to set it up in the attic. It's actually smaller than I thought, and right now I have it set up on an old photo tripod sitting near a window in our upstairs bonus room. My HOA does not allow antennas. I'm going to try to figure a way to "temporarily" set it up out a window as high as I can just to see how much better it performs. As it is, it seems to be better than my diamond RH77CA.

We bought our house 20 years ago knowing what the HOA rules were, so I can't complain about them. Well, I can complain, but I can't blame the HOA.

 

[MiCon]

The same antenna mounted on the roof will almost always outperform an attic installation.

I, too, have HOA restrictions. When I moved in I was using the rubber ducky antenna and hearing all of the local stuff well. Then I put a discone in the attic and my reception improved by about 50%. Having used roof mounted antennas in past locations, I'm sure that if I put the antenna on the roof - an extra eight to ten feet higher - my reception would improve again.

 

[dmg1969]

I used an antenna in the attic for quite a number of years and it worked very well. When we put our addition on, we had to go to a metal roof. Putting the addition on the back of the house meant restructuring the roof which made the slope too shallow to use shingles. So, we had the entire roof re-done in metal. It killed my reception and necessitated moving the antenna outside.

 

[EAFrizzle]

At my old house in Houston, I had a 3-element VHF yagi, a 2M/70cm ground plane, 2 DIY flowerpots tuned for wx and civair, and a 200' helical loop for SW, all in the attic. Would they have performed better outside? Of course. But they also outperformed anything at ground level. Height is might when it comes to antennas.

If you can toss an antenna in the attic now vs. waiting to do an exterior installation, I'd be having a better signal today, then planning for more elevation in the future.

 

[RoninJoliet]

I have 3 RShack groundplane antennas with 30' of RG213 coax in my attic on a tri-level home so there up pretty high, they receive very well and are just enough signal for the Illinois Starcom 700-800 P25 system considering too much signal results in simulcasting of too many tower sites,...The coax comes down a clothes Shute into the lower level and into the desk I have my scanners,...I really miss climbing my tower due to being too old now but the attic setup really beats pull-up antennas.,,,

 

[cbehr91]

I had success with attic mount antennas in a house I rented. It was a two-story house with an attached garage that was only as tall as the first floor, which was where a DirecTV dish mount was bolted into the roof left by a previous owner. I first took down the dish and replaced it with a simple J-pole, but I also had antennas in the attic above the second floor. Anything from a 1/4 wave on a ground plane kit right at the peak of the roof, to a 5/8th wave on a metal fan box.

Because of the added height the attic antennas always did better than the antenna that was outside at only around 10' AGL.

 

[N9JIG]

Having lived in HOA's or apartments almost my entire adult life I have lived with attic antennas for the vast majority of my listening. Recently however I was able to put an Omni-X outside on the side if the house slightly above the roof peak. It worked OK in the attic but a whole lot better once I got it outside.

If you have a choice, put it outside. My attic is full of metal ducting and the air handler for my HVAC. Luckily my roof is clay tile so I can get decent results in spite of this but nowhere near as good as outside antennas work.

 

[Jondrew55]

Having lived in HOA's or apartments almost my entire adult life I have lived with attic antennas for the vast majority of my listening. Recently however I was able to put an Omni-X outside on the side if the house slightly above the roof peak. It worked OK in the attic but a whole lot better once I got it outside.

If you have a choice, put it outside. My attic is full of metal ducting and the air handler for my HVAC. Luckily my roof is clay tile so I can get decent results in spite of this but nowhere near as good as outside antennas work.

Interesting. I have tile too. I was wondering how much it attenuated the signals.

 

[N9JIG]

Interesting. I have tile too. I was wondering how much it attenuated the signals.

Being non-metallic then probably not much. I would be more worried if they used metal sheathing underneath, it is why I didn't buy the house in Utah we liked, it ha metallic sheathing as part of the roof's underlayer.

 

[G7RUX]

Interesting. I have tile too. I was wondering how much it attenuated the signals.

It depends on the material the tiles are made from. Standard concrete tiles are fairly good until they are wet when attenuation increases quite dramatically, especially for VHF and above. Felt shingles are generally pretty good and slate tiles are pretty bad, even when dry.

 

[CcSkyEye]

I have had a couple of antennas installed in my attic for almost 7 years now and have been happy with results. I do have to rent a man lift this spring to fix some siding that has come lose about 25 feet up and I am still thinking about moving an antenna or two outside at the same time.