We've finally got the Antennas Direct DB4 mounted in the attic with the feed line run through a new hole in the wall.
A few observations.
- This antenna kicks ass. I'm running it through a standalone 16dB amplifier and the reception blows away the rabbit ears with the (ahem) 32dB built-in amp.
- VHF reception sortof sucks, since I've got a UHF-specific antenna and a UHF-only amp. I'll actually be using the old rabbit ears up in the attic and mixing the signals together with a VHF/UHF signal combiner, once I ... uhhh ... buy one.
- It's really nice having the antenna mounted in the attic, both from an interference perspective and from an it's-an-ugly-antenna perspective.
- The Antennas Direct amplifier has a remote power feed so if I hadn't already installed an outlet for the network box, I could have powered the amplifier near the TV even though I've got the amp mounted on the antenna.
Cutting a hole near the ceiling to drill through the header (as recommended) wasn't nearly as difficult as I originally thought, nor was fixing the drywall as I found some totally sweet drywall repair clips to pin the drywall plug in place while I spackled, textured, and painted it.
Surprisingly, I had a much harder time getting to the header inside the attic than I originally anticipated. In fact, if there hadn't been a sortof halfassed wooden subfloor running around the edge of the house and just over the drywall (ostensibly to support dorks like me as I wiggle under the roof) there wouldn't have been any way to feed this wire through.
Good thing it's all patched up. I'm sick of lying in rolls of fiberglass insulation in 100+ degree F heat.
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