Communications: Voice, Radio and Data - Cancelled basic cable and want to mount antenna to get local free TV

I want to use an antenna to get free digital TV from the local stations. I live in a flat valley in Phoenix, Arizona. All the TV stations in the metro area have their transmitters on a mountain just outside the city. This mountain is about 1500 feet above ground level.

My address is 14.4 miles from these transmitters, which are at a compass heading of 122 degrees from my house. There are no large buildings, hills, or mountains between my house and the transmitters.

I was wondering if one of those omnidirectional disc-shaped antennas would suffice? Winegard has the Metrostar MS-1000 and amplified versions too. I was thinking of maybe mounting it on a 10-15 foot pole facing towards the mountain. You probably can't see the radio towers from the top of the pole, but there is open sky in between. Maybe the signal would be strong enough at the 14.4 mile distance with an amplified version if necessary? Is it true that I wouldn't need to worry about lightning grounding if the pole is sunk deep enough into the ground? Do you think this mounting arrangement will work for my conditions?

Thanks,
Dave

If all the stations available have their transmitters close together (relatively speaking) then I would use a directional antenna.

And no, it matters not how deep your pole is buried for lightning protection. If you have lightning in your area then you must use proper protection.

At only 14 miles, you shouldn't need a special antenna (other than a directional, as Furd suggested). You may be able to get some of the stations with cheap rabbit ears. If you buy an antenna, make sure it's VHF and UHF.

Check antennaweb.org (http://www.antennaweb.org) for specifics.