Mounting ham radio antennas in the attic
Often, amateur radio operators are looking for alternative locations to install their antennas. If you live in a space restricted location or are under a HOA restriction, you may be able to mount an antenna outside. This calls for a little creativity; if the space allows, consider mounting your antennas in the attic.
The advantages of mounting the antenna in the attic are twofold. Your antennas will be hidden from view, thereby not raising any issues with neighbors or others that would want to enforce any Home Owners Association restrictions that may be in your neighborhood.
A second advantage to mounting the antenna in the attic is that you will be protected from lightning strikes in the event of severe weather. the house will act as a natural shield and as long as your attic mounted antenna system is independent to the rest of your antennas, lightning won’t be an issue. This is great for the amateur radio operator that is providing net control activities during a SKYWARN severe weather activation.
Attic mounted antennas will work just fine and you will receive pretty close to the same results as you would if the antenna was outdoors. Most roofs have asphalt shingles on them, which won’t appreciably block RF radiation. If your house has a tin or steel roof, then the attic wouldn’t be much of an option.
The only concern with attic mounted antennas is the space available to you for mounting. The KB9VBR 2 meter J-Pole antenna is 69 inches tall overall. You will need a peak in your attic that is tall enough for the antenna to fit. If the top of the antenna touches the walls or roof, the performance may be affected slightly. If you attic isn’t tall enough, you could angle the antenna mounting to make it fit. Angling will affect the radiation patter slightly, so you may need to consider which directions to favor the antenna for the best reception.
Attic mounted antennas are a great solution for amateur radio operators looking for an effective VHF/UHF antenna system installed in a limited or restrictive situation.
N-Connector for J-Pole Antenna
2 Meter Amateur Radio J-Pole Antenna
2 Meter Break-a-way J-Pole Antenna
2 Meter Slim Jim Antenna
Nice site. I will be doing biz with you in the future! 73s de wa 1ufo Radio Spacejunk in the White Mountains.
The article about installing a J-pole is encouraging, as I have a large attic that could be used. However, it did not address the issue or radiation in the living areas below for a 2 meter J pole. And it did not address the issue of placement near existing electrical wiring. Could those subjects be addressed? I would be most grateful.
GH
Great questions. I don’t believe electrical wiring should be an issue when mounting this antenna in the attic; especially if the wiring will be below the plane of the antenna. The base of the antenna is at DC Ground, so any metal or wire below the antenna will be ‘invisible’ to it. Wiring would be more of an issue with horizontally mounted antennas, like dipoles, as parallel wires could interact with those types of antennas.
As for RF safety. This is a complex subject and I have written a separate article that addresses the issue of RF radiation safety and how to evaluate your setup to make sure you are within the FCC guidelines. Details are at the link below.
http://www.jpole-antenna.com/2012/06/17/rf-energy-safety-and-exposure/
What about tile roofs? Would the tile make the attic antenna useless?
The tile roof itself shouldn’t be much of an issue. Roof tiles are thin enough that they aren’t going to block the signal much at all. But the signal could be attenuated if the underlayment contains metal foil or mesh.