Best FM antenna around $50


Will be attached to a run of high quality coax that goes in my crawl space and outside the side of the house to the roof eave at the second floor. One that fits / hides well under the eave would be best. Live east of Seattle with foothills, etc in between.

TIA,

Scott
sbrownnw
I had a GOdar and sold it finding it not even as good as a basic dipole indoors, and harder to position for omni reception.

A Godar might fit into your space outdoors well as best I can tell from your description, but I believe it is designed for indoor use. Not sure how well it would hold up outdoors, and its directionality could well be a problem.

YOu could most likely easily attach a standard indoor dipole antenna there and see how that does.

Otherwise, there may be other larger multielement omnidirectional outdoor TV/FM antennas available still that might, just might perform better, though these are probably harder to find these days than back in their heyday 40 years or so ago.

I worked at Radio Shack and Lafayette Radio for years back in the days when outdoor antennas were still popular. Getting any antenna, even a simple dipole, up high and outdoors is almost always a good idea if possible. After that, to do much better, you needed a larger directional antenna with more elements and a rotor to orient it for particular stations. I doubt much has changed since then regarding the SOTA in antenna technology, other than aesthetics and cost perhaps.
I use the Magnum Dynalab ST-1 vertical FM antenna and have for the past 4 years. It is mounted high on my roof and I live 50 miles away from any good FM station. It has great reception and is durable. If you could spring for $114 the Magnum is a great option. Being a single stiff wire it is unobtrusive and easy to hide and has a coax connection. They also sell the indoor SR-100 which I have not tried but MD makes many good antennas and has a good reputation.
I fully agree with Tgrisham. I also have the ST-2. Mine is hose-clamped in vertical position to the outer railing of my terrace on 4th floor-top floor. I am in Metro NYC area. I can easily be mounted horizontally. Good value antenna.
I've built a couple of these DIY designs. Cost nothing if you have few feet of wire laying around. Hides behind the cabinets or mounts right on a wall.

http://www.wryr.org/Antenna_instructions.pdf