>Where is the problem here? 1-antenna, >2-amplifier, 3-secondary-amplifier 4-the boogie man?
If the antenna is old enough to have lost some elements you probably have corrosion problems at various terminals. So you want to replace or clean up as much as you can. Corrosion will attenuate the signal significantly. A wire brush can work wonders. Then cover the terminals with Silicon Chalk to keep them dry. Your coax cable could also have failed if too much moisture managed to get in under the insulation so you should inspect that. Coax is not that expensive so it may be worthwhile replacing it just on GP. Especially if the cost of getting up there is significant. I assume your antenna will have a rotor so you can fine tune its position from a comfortable arm chair. To be most effective your amplifier should be right at the antenna. Every foot of cable will attenuate the signal a litle bit so you get the most benefit of having the amplifier right on the mast. Some antennas come with an amplifier attached. Power to the amplifier is provided through the antenna cable using a power tap located at some convenient spot inside the house. A signal meter is a big help and many digital boxes include an on-screen readout. The meter on some boxes will work even on stations that are too weak to display a picture. Figure out which of your boxes will do that. Good luck. ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
