Greetings all. I’m working toward cutting the chord and have already purchased my antenna. Now that it’s here, I’m reading the instructions and it states it has to be grounded. This is going to be installed in my attic, and is not a powered antenna.

Do these two specificities negate the need to ground the antenna? If not, is there a way to ground the antenna in the attic?

Btw, I’m not a « handyman » nor claim to be, so any help is very much appreciated.

Per NEC (electrical code), antennas in an attic do not require grounding.

don't worry about it.

If the intent is to prevent lightning from getting to your house, and the antenna is in the attic... I think it got there before it got to the antenna.

Only if it misbehaves, then you can ground it.

It would be hard to imagine that the antenna in the attic could get hit by lightening, but, if it did, a charge could follow the coax down to your tv and knock it out. Your house has a ground rod, certainly, you could run a 6 ga wire to the rod and clamp it on. Could not hurt.
But, my incoming power line got hit by lightening years ago, not my antenna. The charge came in my power line and knocked out my tv....and lots of other stuff. Ground wires can only do so much.
With the amount of voltage pressure that comes from lightening, anything could happen.

If t tv is grounded and the antenna it hardwired to the tv.

And lightening seek the path of least
Resistance .

Also, are the electric lines to your home above ground ? Or below?

I would ground it. Run a #8 or larger wire, preferably green or bare copper, to the basement or bottom floor. Buy a ground rod, they are copper coated steel about 9' long. Pound it into the ground, probably with water to make it easier. Attach the wire to the ground rod, not sure what the proper clamp is, check that at the store.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
If t tv is grounded and the antenna it hardwired to the tv.

And lightening seek the path of least
Resistance .

Inconsequential if the antenna is in the attic. As somebody else noted: If lightning gets to the antenna inside the attic, it's Game Over, anyway

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
Also, are the electric lines to your home above ground ? Or below?

Inconsequential regardless of where the antenna is located.

To the OP: If the antenna is located in the attic, it need not be grounded and, in fact, there is no benefit to doing so.

Thanks all, for your input. Working on installation, sans ground, within the next day. And, yes, it’s in the attic.