How To Wire A Roof Antenna

If you have an outside roof antenna and the cable companies box is on the outside of your home what you can do is purchase a plastic utility box that is similar to their box then put it near the cable box and transfer all the wires from the cable box to your box with the exception of the line in from the street and the cable modem line.

How to wire a roof antenna. The minimum size wire you should use to connect the antenna to the house service ground is 10 awg american wire gauge which is 1 10th of an inch in diameter. Assemble the outdoor tv antenna. The best thing one can do to prevent stray rf is to connect the grounds of all equipment together and at a common point. Follow the 11 steps below to attach your antenna to a coaxial cable.

Ground that point if possible. Whatever you do do not put holes in your roof to attach your antenna. The type of clamp connector will depend on the size of your ground wire. A base mount holds the antenna mast.

Before you climb all the way on the roof read the instruction manual that came with the mounting kit. Follow the manufacturer s instructions. You can also buy non penetrating mounts that use weights rather than screws to hold them in place. You may also apply silicone caulk to protect the screws from water penetration.

Some antennas come with a coaxial cable but if you have a large antenna mounted on your home s roof it might use ribbon cables instead of a coaxial cable. Run a braided wire from each piece of equipment to a common point. In some models the transformer is already built in. Use a solid copper wire and use the ground clamp to connect it to the house service ground.

If your antenna supports the coaxial cable jump to step 8 directly. If mounting the antenna on the surface of your roof you should get either a base mount such as the heavy duty roof mount for masts up to 1 7 8 od ez 19a or a tripod. Carefully select the location of your aerial. A copper rod driven into the ground with an antenna on the roof is especially not an rf ground.

If the antenna comes with a coaxial connector outside the plastic casing simply connect the outdoor coaxial cable to the antenna. Do not install too close to electrical wires or tree branches. In order to mount an antenna on your roof without damaging it you should attach the antenna to the gable the fascia or the chimney.