Overall antennas are at best a compromise and sometimes are as difficult to install as outdoor antennas.
Attic ham antenna installation.
The one i recommend.
If you have some sort of attic in your home apartment or condo you re in luck.
If you live in a space restricted location or are under a hoa restriction you may be able to mount an antenna outside.
And it has the side benefit of essentially fire proofing your installation even if you feel the need to kick on that 4cx15 000.
Antennas generally perform best when they re out in the clear but there is no law that says you can t use an outdoor antenna indoors.
Need lots of room keep them away from metal objects like heaters and ducts wire antennas can be run near the peak of the roof inside the attic bent in odd shapes to match the space available.
But they can be worth the effort to continue enjoying our great hobby.
I would love to feature that case here on the site.
This antenna has all the reception power of an outdoor antenna but features a curved metal frame of reflectors that are designed for fitting easily into smaller attic spaces.
Attic antenna installation precautions.
In order to really test it i decided to skip the step of a temporary outdoor deployment and just go ahead and put it in to it s final location.
For example you can install a wire dipole in almost any attic space.
Often amateur radio operators are looking for alternative locations to install their antennas.
The rf losses are fairly low in wood and most roofing at hf vhf most of problem comes from interaction with electrical wiring and ductwork.
The ge 33692 attic mount hd antenna is a notable example of an antenna specially designed for placement in the attic.
When locating an antenna in the attic or roof space there are several precautions that can be implemented to ensure that the performance that is gained is the best for the circumstances.
Attic antennas can work better than you might think some of mine work as well as their outside counterparts no i m not comparing to a 150ft tower big yagis.
The near vertical portion of wire 20 ft from the attic shortwave antenna to the receiver could pick up vertically polarized electrostatic interference.
So if you are unable to erect any outdoor antennas you should consider whether an attic antenna will work for you instead.
In some areas external antennas are not allowed so antennas located in the roof space are needed.
If the space allows consider mounting your antennas in the attic.
This calls for a little creativity.
Now if you know of a case where a professional investigation concluded that the ham radio antenna was the cause of an attic fire please send me information on that.
Attic antennas many types of antenna can be mounted in the attic if you don t have radiant barrier tech shield.
Attics are great locations for indoor antennas.