I live in a 2-floor house and had FM reception problems using twin lead dipole antennas. Around 10 years ago, I purchased a 2-element, omni antenna (looks like this: http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=3740648) and mounted it in the attic at the peak of the roof. I connected it to a 75 Ohm transformer and a 2-way splitter and ran RG-59/U to receivers in the upstairs bedroom and office.

This worked well but it was too difficult to bring the coax downstairs to my living room without going outside so I bought a Terk Pi amplified antenna for my NAD receiver there. That usually gives acceptable results but for some stations the gain or orientation of the Terk Pi must be adjusted, which is inconvenient because it's up on top of the entertainment center cabinet. Now that we're doing some home renovations, a few walls and part of the ceiling are open so this is the perfect time to run coax from the attic to the living room.

1. Do I need to boost the signal at the antenna for a 3-way split? If so, how much gain do I need? Is 8 dB enough?

2. I still have RG-59/U on hand. Is this ok for the new 65' run to the living room or should I use RG-6 instead?

3. If RG-6 is recommended for the new run, should I replace the existing 25' runs of RG-59/U while I'm at it?

4. What about the connectors? I originally used crimp-ons. Should I cut them off and have someone install good compression fittings like the kind technicians now use for cable and satellite TV?

5. Does anything in this antenna system need to be grounded? I see the splitter has a bolt for a ground wire.