Will chimney mount antennas burn up?

willmarth2 · EVDO Newbie Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 8

I get the grid antenna tomorrow. I was told to mount it to the chimney. Does anyone have experience with this? I bought wall mount hardware from Lowe's. I have a 5 foot mast. The mount has wood screws, not masonary. The little receiver will be right over the chimney. We don't use the fireplace much. Any advise?

xrayman · Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:56 pm Post subject:

The 5 foot mast should get the antenna out of the way of excess heat. Mount the mast so the grid antenna is not positioned over the top of the chimney opening. You should ty-wrap the antenna cable on the side of the mast that is away from the chimney opening. Use only high quality chimney mount hardware. Get a good mount like the one in photo below. If you buy low cost mount hardware the thin metal plating will not prevent rust very long. You don't want rust stains running down your chimney and roof. Use caution when tightening mount straps, I crushed an old brick chimney once. I always use proper earth grounding for lightning protection.

jackrodgers · EVDO Addict Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 1131

Add corner clips, whatever they are called, so the strapping won't damage the bricks when the wind blows.

By corner clips I mean those 4 x 4 or so pieces of sheet metal or other metal bent at a 90 degree angle. If the strap runs over one of these it will distribute the stress over a larger area and not directly on the brick. If there is any movement caused by wind the strap will slide up and down on the metal rather than gouge the surface of the brick.

As mentioned above, make sure what you buy doesn't rust.

SlyFerret · EVDO User Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 70

You'll be fine. If you use a 5' mast, you'll be well away of any dangerous heat from the chimney. Radio Shack sells the mounts and masts fairly inexpensively.

-SF