Should I even get a preamp?

[mikecav19]

Hi, I am wondering if I even need a pre amp, but I am trying to find a way to get over the hump with picking up the channels. I live in Houston, TX (15135 Memorial Dr, 77079) and it is not all that far from the towers, but not all that close either...probably around 15 miles. However, I live in an apartment complex and my unit is kind of in the middle of the complex. To make it worse, I am on the first of 3 floors. So, I am not able to mount anything on the roof. I can mount the antenna on my patio outside though.

So, I was not able to get any of the main Houston stations (NBC, CBS, or ABC) and so I went to Frys and puchased an Antennas Direct Clearstream 2 that is an indoor/outdoor antenna with 50+ miles of range. I was hoping that it would be able to pick up the signals through all the building that I live in since I am in the middle. It did do a much better job and I was able to get NBC pretty good and CBS and ABC but not good at all. The Coax cable that I am using is only 15 feet long. From all that I have read, the preamp is meant for people with really long coax cables??? Would it help me out at all? If so, which one should I use?

[winegard]

Good morning mikecav19 -

A pre-amp is used to overcome the signal loss created from your coax and any splitters you use between the antenna and the TV. If you are using 15 feet of cable and no splitters, a pre-amp will not be needed. If you have 0 signal at the antenna, multiplying 0 is still 0.

I would recommend mounting an antenna outside on the southwest wall in a place with no obstructions. Mounting an antenna internally or trying to obtain signal through other obstructions such as a building or tree-line can reduce your signal by 50-90%. Mount the antenna as high as possible.