Antenna for TV in Basement

[kep55]

We have a couple rooms in our basement, one of which I want to connect to our preexisting outdoor antenna. The one room already has a cable drop (literally) from its drop ceiling. The other room has a properly finished drywall ceiling. There are no windows in this room.
Would an amplified flat panel indoor antenna (Mohu leaf; RCA ANT1400F) be the ticket? Or would I be better off punching a hole through the ceiling and connect the existing antenna?

 

[Deleted member 217926]

Honestly the only way to tell if an indoor unit would work is to try it and see. My guess would be that with all other things being equal you will get better reception from your existing outdoor antenna. Those flat panel indoor models are fairly cheap though and I would imagine you could return it if you don't get acceptable performance so you could always just get one to try.

 

[Rheotome]

Yes, you could try an Indoor antenna, but really the best solution is a quality outdoor antenna , properly installed according to Section 810 of The National Electrical Codes (document ANSI/ NFPA 70) . I prefer to use a high quality RG6 Quad shielded coaxial cable down lead when connecting to a TV antenna. Sellers on Ebay will make whatever length you need. With a decent antenna setup you can pull in plenty of broadcast stations depending upon where you live. Free HD TV !! Also note that the correct installation according to NFPA 70 creates a excellent ground path and the arrestor will help prevent damage from static discharge and lightning, except probably a direct hit.

 

[kep55]

I'm going to take this route. I hooked up the outdoor antenna to our LG flatpanel and snagged 25 - 30 channels. When I used a splitter so my stereo could use the existing outdoor antenna, I lost 5 channels. No big deal there, they were all bible-thumper channels. So, now I'm going to snag a ChannelMaster Mini2 inline amp and another splitter right off the amp. I reconnect the upstairs cable and then run a second cable to the downstairs room.