Outdoor Antenna Lifespan?

Presently I only sporadically receive two stations in stereo - all else comes in mono. I get lots of stations since I'm in a large metro area but they have hiss. My rooftop omni antenna and coax system is over 25 years old. Is it time to retire and place it so I can get a stronger signal? I tried hooking up the supplied T ribbon antenna but since my system is in the basement the signal got a bit worse. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Update: I ordered a new antenna and cable and that solved the problem. Tomorrow I'll mount it in the attic for an even stronger signal (currently on the floor in the living room).

 

T ribbon antenna's can form a basic dipole where each wire is placed taut and the the central wire is then joined to your receiver. as you say you are extending to the attic, best to use low loss coax and joint the T close to where the coax conductors locate.

Also worth trying is either horizontal or vertical placement, or indeed midway between the two.
Some stations broadcast with horizontal polarity, others with vertical. Vertical is usually better for hilly environments, or if in valleys.

If you find stations are weak with rotating you could start forming a yagi antenna by having two more elements, one smaller toward the direction you consider the radio signal broadcasts from, and a longer element at the rear of those.

A good all purpose antenna is the discone , which is omni directional to receive from all directions,
but the Yagi type can help where the direction of broadcast is known.

Best of luck with that.