On Wed, 30 Jul 2014 20:41:36 +0000 (UTC), "badgolferman"
wrote:

I'm considering ditching cable TV and going streaming and broadcast. I
assume I can run the antenna feed to the same place where the cable
connects into the attic. This will be good enough for all the outlets
throughout the house, correct? My current cable connection requires a
powered amplifier though.

My biggest hesitation deals with the fact that I have some big maple
trees in my back yard that I believe would be in the direct path of the
direction I must aim the antenna. Is there a way to determine if this
is a problem before going through the entire installation process?

Old coax was often designed for lower frequencies only, so losses
increase at the higher UHF frequencies. However, a good amplifier can
permit you to use the old cable outlets in various rooms. By "good",
I mean an amplifier that is not easily overloaded by nearby high power
transmitters, not an amp that is advertised as having the highest
gain. Regarding your second question, try setting the antenna on a
ladder before going to all the trouble of securely mounting it.
Depending on your situation, that could be easy or hard.
Unfortuneately, I can't think of any way to test it before buying the
antenna.

Another thing to keep in mind is what frequency range you need. Older
antennas from the 50's & 60's were optimized for VHF which means they
were very large. Since many (but not all) of the stations are now on
UHF, you might get away with a very small UHF only antenna. It all
depends on what channels you want to watch and what channels are in
use in your area.

Regarding trees, they do affect reception, but not nearly as much as
they do with satellite dishes. If you have strong signals in your
area, you might get good reception in spite of the trees.

Good luck!