Entertainment Center: TVs, Stereos, VCRs and DVDs - Mystery antenna hookup -- not twin lead or coax

Hey all,

I recently moved into a house that was built in 1940. I was surprised to find that it has no coaxial hookups at all. Instead, there's a connection in the living room that has two circular openings labeled ANT and GND. The connection looks something like this European electrical outlet, except the two holes are on top of each other instead of side by side.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/C_plug.jpg/200px-C_plug.jpg

I took the wall plate off and found that the wires are 12 gauge (same as the electrical wiring in the walls). The GND runs to a pipe in the basement, and the ANT wire runs upstairs somewhere. The attic is finished, so I can't tell exactly what it's connected to. I haven't been on the roof, but I don't see an antenna up there.

So, the antenna wire is not twin lead or coax, and the 12 gauge is bigger than will fit into an F-connector, right? How can get the signal from this antenna wire into my TV? Is it possible that this connection was only intended for radios?

Thanks for any ideas.

It is probably just single wire that was used a radio antenna.

If it's original to a 1940 house it is definitely not a TV antenna. (Unless Philo T. Farnsworth happened to live there!) In 1940, TVs were Future Tech.

As Joed said, it's probably an AM radio antenna -- a remnant from a very advanced home of its day. Maybe it was a model home or custom-built for a wealthy owner?

That's a rare find. You should do some investigating. I'd love to hear what you find out.

Interesting, thanks for the comments. I might ask around in an audio forum, and I'll report back if I find anything out.