I agree with Ernie on a lot of the things that he stated. 95% of the OTA installs we do are with the Winegard HD-7694. It is not a big antenna but the facts are that you can double or triple the size of the antenna and only gain 2 or 3 dB from the smaller antenna.

We have found that when we pull out on of those monster antennas the customer starts saying that they want the antenna to be low and where it can't be seen. With the smaller antenna we can install the antenna higher and where the signal is the strongest. If you are installing antennas today you need a digital signal meter to measure signal levels for all the channels at different locations on the roof.

In the old days we would go up on the roof and simply strap the antenna on the chimney and the customer accepted the reception that he got. But when we tried that with the HD signals often times we had problems where major networks broke up and pixelated when we put it on the chimney. We found that if the antenna was moved to other locations on the roof it was possible to get 6 to 12 dB more signal from some channels . It is just like a cell phone. On one side of the house you may get no signal on the other side you can get 2 or three bars.

If you can get signal levels -10dBmv or more then with a 15-20 dB preamplifier you can hook up to at 8 TVs.

If you are willing to go up on roofs to install these antennas you can make good money. Customers will pay alot of money if you can deliver quality reception so that they can cut the cable cord. If they are saving $100 a month then an antenna that costs $600 can be paid off in 6 months.