On Mon, 21 Apr 2014 21:33:11 -0700, "Bob F" wrote:

micky wrote:
On Sat, 19 Apr 2014 17:18:15 -0400, wrote:

On Sat, 19 Apr 2014 16:47:45 -0400, micky
wrote:

When I first** installed my large attic antenna, it got all the
Baltimore stations and most DC stations. 40 miles from here. No
rabbit ears had ever gotten more than one or two DC stations, plus
the Baltimore stations. So you're wrong.

When I lived in Clinton Md, south of DC an attic antenna got me all
of the DC stations (from northwest DC) and a fairly good picture from
Baltimore.
I went up on a 15' mast on the roof with a rotor so I could swing
around south and I could get Richmond fairly well (enough to see a
blacked out Redskin game), 100 miles away. DC and Baltimore were
crystal clear.

I'm not saying that a tower or mast isn't a good thing, but the
previous poster went far beyond saying that a tower was better than
the attic. He said regarding an antenna: "Indoor; even in the attic;
is a waste of money", and that's not true. " Just go for a proper
tower unless you live in a city." so I think he was recommending a
self-standing tower, wasn't even satisfied with a mast.

If you just wanted DC stations you could run a wire to the center
screw of an outlet plate.

Sounds good. Do I need more parts, or just a wire from there to the
center hole of the co-ax connector?

He didn't say anything about a co-ax connector.

True. That's why I mentioned it and its center hole.

He said and outlet plate screw.

Yes, which is at ground potential, but electronics is complicated and
maybe even the array of ground conductors in the average house somehow
makes a decent antenna**.

I do have some doubt.

Me too. But I've got nothing to lose by trying it, when I have time.

They used to advertise a lot, and sell, and I used to have a gizmo that
was flatlead at one end, and screwed the the antenna terminals of a tv,
and at the other end was a plastic box with a two prongs sticking out of
the far end, to be plugged into an outlet (receptacle). I took it apart
and there was a capacitor between one side of the flat lead and the
neutral prong. The other side of the flat lead was not connected to
anything. It worked as an antenna I guess, not great and certainly no
better than rabbit ears (or what I usually used which is just one wire
on one of the two tv screws.) The plastic box was 1/2" thick or so
and 6-sided but not 6 equal sides, so it looked futuristic. That was
most of its appeal to most people.

But if the neutral made a decent antenna, maybe the ground will too. No
capacitor needed according to gf? maybe that's the difference between
ground and neutral. :-) But I did ask about other parts.