Antennas surrounded by poles, wires, large structures or trees cannot generate their full signal potential.

Compare against these antenna placements, which are in open areas of a yard or roof with no lateral obstructions.

Ideal Antenna Siting
An AM antenna may be installed atop an Antenna Support [pole/tower/mast] in a yard area adjacent to a host building or on a tower/mast on the flat roof of the building. AM antennas may not be installed on the side of [in parallel with] an existing pole, tower or mast. The host building should have generator power backup if the application is for public safety.

Yard Locations:  If the antenna support (pole / tower / mast) is installed in the yard of a building:

• Locate it on a side of the building in which there is minimal paving, sidewalks and utilities for the buried cable to cross, or consider an aerial cable installation.

• Choose a yard area with adequate room for the buried groundplane (if required). The distance from the antenna support to the building should be at least the radius of the groundplane. 50' distance is preferred. Note: High efficiency antennas, such as the HPR.0990, require a bucket truck for assembly and tuning. Make sure there is truck access to the site.

Roof Locations:  Buildings with flat roofs can make excellent AM antenna sites. The flat roof dimensions should be at least twice the radius (i.e.: the diameter) of the antenna's groundplane. Example: If the groundplane radius is 10', the roof dimensions should be at least 20' by 20'.

All antenna locations benefit from minimal nearby obstructions in order to produce an unimpeded signal. See the chart below.

Lightning protection is important. Though damage seldom occurs due to the fact that these kinds of antennas are not often installed high above the ground, lightning can strike them; and when it does, it needs to be directed to the ground so damage to connected electronics does not result. Information Station Specialists can provide a lightning arrestor to redirect lightning and static discharges to ground. In most cases, these arrestors will reset so the output of the radio station is not interrupted. Information Station Specialists provides the arrestor in a weatherproof cabinet which provides a convenient bonding point for the antenna groundplane, as well.

The above photos show a rare catastrophic multi-pole lightning strike that occurred in New Mexico in 2022. The antenna was totally destroyed (left photo) but the arrestor (pictured at right) protected the system’s electronics from damage, directing instead the charge into the aluminum plate and to the ground.