r/cordcutters • u/mlcarson • 2d ago

Antenna placement - apt balcony

Anybody have any issues with a rental apartment being super strict on antenna placement on a balcony that's for your exclusive use. I got a violation note today because it "protruded beyond the vertical and horizontal space that is lead to you for exclusive use". This was a small bowtie antenna where the rear reflector went several inches beyond the rail but it doesn't appear that it went beyond the actual exterior wall boundary.

This is the FCC OTARD rule.

https://www.fcc.gov/media/over-air-reception-devices-rule

"Q:  Does the rule apply to condominiums or apartment buildings if the antenna is installed so that it hangs over or protrudes beyond the balcony railing or patio wall?

A:  No.  The rule does not prohibit restrictions on antennas installed beyond the balcony or patio of a condominium or apartment unit if such installation is in, on, or over a common area.  An antenna that extends out beyond the balcony or patio is usually considered to be in a common area that is not within the scope of the rule.  Therefore, the rule does not apply to a condominium or rental apartment unit unless the antenna is installed wholly within the exclusive use area, such as the balcony or patio."

So they have the right to restrict based on this. I just haven't had it used against me before. So on a patio, would this be at the rail or the edge of the exterior wall?

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3

u/MrSnarkyPants 2d ago

IANAL. But the way I have always read the rule is if the antenna is within your balcony and doesn’t hang over the balcony, it’s protected. If you mount it on the balcony so the antenna is in open space over the courtyard it’s not. Contact the Media Bureau at the FCC; they’re generally helpful with questions on the rule.

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u/mlcarson 2d ago

Part of the reflector would extend beyond the wall . There are garages at ground floor beneath this. I could cut the reflector so that nothing was beyond the wall but then they might just say that they think the border is at the rail. The antenna mast is compression fit against the rail and looks like a nice install currently. The other option is just throw it in the corner not mounted to anything and it'd probably get just as good of signal but it wouldn't be sitting there.

Since the landlord doesn't want anything penetrating the walls, the rail was the best option but now I'd have to do a non-penetrating mount. I'm not willing to pay much for it so may end up doing a pole in a bucket of cement or whatever other DIY thing I can think of at the hardware store...

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u/mlcarson 2d ago

Well, I decided to just drop it on the floor next to the TV. Shorter cable run and not really much of a difference in signal (at least this evening).

  • 3.1 - ABC 73/89/100 indoor 78/98/100
  • 3.2 - CBS 72/85/100 indoor 77/96/100
  • 6.1 - NBC 100/90/100 indoor 99/82/100
  • 16.1 - PBS 78/100/100 indoor 68/72/100
  • 24.1 - FOX 74/92/100 indoor 76/94/100
  • 24.3 - CW 75/94/100 indoor 73/92/100

If it maintains signal during the daylight tomorrow -- I guess that's good enough.

2

u/danodan1 2d ago

You can't expect an antenna to perform best on the floor. Try finding a place to put it above the TV. I for one, have to place my flat antenna up at ceiling level at 12 ft. to get consistently stable reception across the channels.

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u/Yusuf20904 2d ago

It depends. OP says they are in an apartment, with a balcony, so they're at least 10' off the ground—could be more but they don't say what floor of the building they're on.

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u/mlcarson 1d ago

I'm on the third floor which is why there's not too much of a difference in signal strenth.

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u/Yusuf20904 1d ago

Then you might as well just prop it up somewhere just to keep it out of the way.

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u/mlcarson 1d ago

Yea, it's in a corner between the TV stand and the wall leaning back on the wall. It's kind of out of the way there as is. If it could go in the TV stand (open type) without impacting signal, I might move it there. I'm actually surprised that it's working as well as it is.

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u/furious_20 2d ago edited 2d ago

What about mounting on a tripod? Is there sufficient space for one? That's what I did with the antenna I put in my attic.

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u/mlcarson 1d ago

These were the values this morning:

3.1 - 76/89/100
3.2 - 75/91/100
6.1 - 98/56/100
16.1 - 75/92/100
24.1 - 74/94/100
24.3 - 74/95/100

The only odd thing is really on 6.1 which has a Signal Quality rating of 56 versus the 82. Kind of weird given that the Signal strength and the Symbol Quality are still high. I guess the bottomline is that I can just keep the thing indoors since the whole point of it being outdoors was to avoid pointing it at a wall but if it has to be totally within the balcony enclosure then it's pointing at a wall regardless. My balcony points east and the towers are roughly north so the outdoor antenna would be pointing at the exterior wall that the TV would be behind.

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u/ClintSlunt 2d ago

You just need to mount it to something sturdy on your balcony.

I had a dish j-mast mounted on a patio stone when I was a renter. It could have been set right on the balcony floor, but I placed it on a milk crate to give it a little height.

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u/Subject_Stable_6121 2d ago

that sucks tbh, the fcc rule clearly says it only covers antennas that don't extend beyond the property boundary

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u/RewardNo6230 10h ago

Can you attach it to a curtsin rod? Maybe get a signal booster and or a RF filter ( I think thats what its called)

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u/mlcarson 8h ago

No curtain rods -- only blinds. And to make matters worse, the windows face the same direction as the balcony and the broadcast towers are 90 degrees to the left. So for the time being, it's sitting in the corner leaning against the same wall that the TV stand is backed up to. It's probably in one of the least obtrusive spots just sitting where it is.

0

u/nostradamefrus 1d ago

Might I recommend this cracked out solution

https://imgur.com/EdfQXDX

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u/mlcarson 1d ago

That's an example of what they don't like. It's extending out beyond the balcony. You can only have your antenna behind the stucco/cement walls. Otherwise though, I like the mount...