How poorly would an attic mounted antenna perform? Obviously worse than something outside, I’m guessing, but how much worse?
My office has one of those “side attics.” It has a half sized door. Mounting a long antenna in there is very tempting because of how much easier it would be than doing anything outside. It’s on the second floor as well.
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What is the roof made of?
Wood and shingles. Typical single family American home.
On HF it probably wouldn’t be too bad since the signals would generally just go straight through the surface. On VHF and above though it could be problematic.
I used to live in a suburb where roof TV antennas were not allowed. Houses either used cable TV or had a TV antenna in the attic.
In my attic, I have an Open-Stub J Pole and a 20m dipole. They work pretty well! You’ll need to make sure that you don’t have a metal roof or any foil layers in the roofing or insulation. If you’re running a dipole, try to avoid electrical wires – if you can’t, have the dipole cross them at a 90º angle.
I was thinking about putting my 2m antenna in the attic, I didn’t think about metal though. I have asphalt shingles but I have solar panels basically covering the south face. I’m guessing the brackets, panels, and wiring will all add up to my plan not panning out well.
I might have a foil layer, now that you mention it. I didn’t consider that.
I’ve seen J pole enough now to guess it’s not some weird esoteric thing. Do you know if where I can read a good comparison between J pole, mono pole, vertical di pole, and horizontal di pole? I think I have a mostly good grasp of the others.
What bands are we talking about (HF or 2m/70cm?)
Is setting up a permanent 2m/70cm antenna even really worth it?
I was thinking like 10m or something maybe. I’m more asking in general, but I know it changes based on wavelength lol.
