Home Guy wrote:
Malcom \"Mal\" Reynolds wrote:

OTOH, i'd consider buying a surplus telephone pole and digging a
hole about 25% the length of the pole to place it in

I think a lot of this thread is bull crap.

I'd like to know where in the SF-bay area the OP lives in. Then run
that city through tvfool.com to see what TV stations are in the area.

My gut feeling is that you won't need a 20'+ mast to pick up what-ever
stations are available in the area.

A larger yagi, or a double-bay or quad-bay bowtie, either one with a
good amplifier, can be mounted closer to the ground to compensate for
not having a taller mast.
My personal experience is that HDTV reception is more dependent on
multipath than signal strength.
I've got lots of signal but poor reception. Might have something to
do with the metal pole building 50 feet away.
Height can make a big difference in
a hilly area with lots of reflections.