Outdoor antenna setup

Sean, the earth's circumference is approximately 24,900 miles at the equator. This is where you will get the longest arc. If you divide 24,900 miles by 360 degrees, you get 69.16666 miles per degree. This is at the equator(longest arc) and is less at other latitudes and angles(the earth not being truly spherical, and all) and excluding terrain obstacles. So, our best case is 69 miles for one degree of arc. This is the horizon. Depending on the height of the transmitting and receiving antennae, the direct distance may be somwhat increased. However, any way you slice it, the 120 mile distance(almost 2 degrees of arc) is at the very outer reaches of possiblity for reception. This is compounded by the fact that it is just far enough to also be right in the typical "skip zone" for ionosphere reflection, so it is neither close enough nor far away enough for direct or rebounded signals.

While I cannot comment on how the phases of the moon and the mating habits of insects affect the FM signal, I can pass on some real world results.

I am running a very large Winegard TV/FM Antenna in my attic crawl space. The entire FM band is between TV channels 6 and 7, so a good VHF TV antenna will work as good as any FM only antenna, despite what the sellers of over-priced FM antennas will tell you. Just make sure the FM trap is OFF if the antenna has one. I do use Star-Quad RG6 coax cable. You could also consider a powered preamp to boost the signal.

I find 60 miles is the best I can do for a quality FM stereo signal. I can get stations further out with the mute off and in mono for better sound. I would do slightly better if my antenna was outside.

A bonus is that I also use it for television in some rooms that don't have cable/satellite hookups.

A great web site for information on classic tuners is:

http://www.geocities.com/tunerinfo/

Does having an outdoor antenna subject your whole stereo system to the possibility of being fried by lightning? A salesman at rat shack told me lightning hit his tv antenna and not only took out his TV but even the two inch bolts screwed into his chimney were blown out of the brick.

Lightning can be a problem. I always unplug my stereo - including FM lead-in - whenever a storm is overhead.

Lightning is one reason I like mine under the roof in the attic. There it also does not alter the appearance of the house.