Is that all in the one direction? In one town - and I'm only guessing ;-)!?
Are there any hills or mtns in the way?
Could you plot the direction off a map onto a plan drawing of your home and block, and then look at each room and the loft? look for the longest span that matches that bearing
read this,
http://images.audioasylum.com/images/Rhombicantenna.pdf
.... and feel free to ask questions.
Then, try this
http://www.kyes.com/antenna/antennadex.html
If you want the drum (the skinny?) on antennas in general. It will also I hope, turn you off the signal-amp idea, before anyone suggests it.
The antenna you listed is quite unsuitable for your needs. While it is directional it has very little more gain than your piece of wire, and boy do you need gain.
If my presumptions are correct your best option is a DIY-wire rhombic made from TV twin ribbon which doubles the gain, and eases the load matching issues. Shaped <> with -> being the axis. Pinned to the ceiling of the most suitable room - or a much bigger and more effective one up in your loft - could give you clean and quiet stereo on some of those stations - or in really quiet mono.
Fair bit of research on your part is required, and then a bit of work and thought on drawing and installing one - in the biggest space you have.
A rhombic in a largish loft might be able to have sides a good bit longer than that of an 88Mhz wave and would outperform any single long yagi on a mast. In any case you could stack two or more of the largest size possible, as the twin ribbon version is a stack anyway! Far better than adding a signal amp too and simpler, and more reliable.
Viz. at 11'3" sides and if each angle were 90 degrees, which is not ideal it would be ~ 16 feet along is axis of pointing. A narrower forward angle would make it about 18 feet long.
'Listening, out!'
Warmest
Timothy Bailey
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
And gladly would he learn and gladly teach - Chaucer. ;-)!
'Still not saluting.'
Edits: 12/15/09 12/15/09
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