Mar 30, 2013 Antenna 1. CONTENTS WHAT IS ANTENNA TRANSMITTER ANTENNA RECEIVER ANTENNA YAGI-UDA ANTENNA LOG – PERIODIC ANTENNA HELIX ANTENNA PARABOLIC ANTENNA LOOP ANTENNA ANTENNA ARRARY 2. ANTENNA An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric energy into radio waves, and vice versa. Another rating system for antennas uses dBd, which means dB of improvement over a dipole antenna. To convert dBd to dBi, just add 2.15. Antenna makers specify their gains in dB. They actually mean dBd, but given the way they exaggerate their claims, dBi is usually closer to the truth. In the US, TV antennas are always horizontal.
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Last Updated on April 7, 2020
How to boost your outdoor tv antenna signal
One of the biggest annoyances in a persons life is when they own an outdoor antenna and they can not get good reception. There are a lot of ways that this can be dealt with and while there are a large number of higher priced outdoor TV antennas on the market, the truth is that often times this can be solved for a lot less money.
One of the biggest issues that a person will suffer from is the fact that their antenna is not pointed in the right direction to give them the best reception that they can attain. If this does not work, then there are a number of other things that you can try to attempt that will give you the level of results you are looking to attain. We at Gadgets Spy have prepared a tutorial for you, let’s take a look at a few of the things you can do to your boost outdoor tv antenna signal and improve your reception.
Install a signal booster
One of the first things that you can do concerning how to boost your outdoor tv antenna signal is to install a television signal booster on your television. This will give you a little bit of an improvement in the old days these would screw into a port on your television. The newer models actually will plug into one of the USB ports that are on many of the modern televisions these days. This will give you a high-end amount of range that your antenna is designed for.
The issue with a weak signal is the fact that the signal will not be able to get to the antenna so things like audio and video will not be crystal clear as they might otherwise have been.
Find a better location
Something that you can do that will not cost any money is to simply figure out a better location for the antenna. This along with changing the direction will help you have a lot better reception. Often times this is the biggest solution to the issue of bad reception. Changing the direction as well as the location will put the antenna in a position to where it will be easier for it to get a signal. You will generally have to have someone inside the house to tell you when the signal gets better or worse.
Some of the more modern antennas will have a meter on them that will tell you what the signal strength is and will give you an idea if you are getting the best signal for your efforts. One thing you will want to keep in mind is the height of the antenna and how well it is able to pick up a signal.
Avoid wireless devices / interference
If at all possible, you will want to make sure that you avoid wireless devices as these are not able to work as well as this that are wire based. In addition to avoiding antennas that are wireless, you will need to consider the use of other wireless devices such as your internet router.
It will be a lot easier for you to get your internet from a wireless router, but this can cause interference in the signal that is coming into your antenna. This interference can generally lead to your signal being weak and not nearly as powerful as you might expect it to be.
Another possible issue is having many antennas near each other such as neighbors and multiple other devices. The best way to see this is to imagine being on the road and then you have a ton of cars that are added around you. The speed of your vehicle will be slowed down and you will take longer to get where you are trying to get to. This is the same way that wireless devices can affect the signal of your television.
More Coaxial Cable
The use of more coaxial cable will be yet another way that you can improve the quality of the signal that you are getting to your television. The more cable allows for you to have more freedom as to where the placement will be of the antenna. While you get a cable included in your antenna purchase, there is never such a thing as having too much cable for your antenna. This will make a large difference. If you doubt this then see how well the reception is when you are in the basement as opposed to higher up. In this case, more is without a doubt better.
It also may simply be a matter of the type of television antenna that you are using. Some of the models that are out there are not nearly as good as the ones that you buy at a higher priced store. In a lot of cases, it will be better to pay the higher price for the better antenna and in the end have a product that will work.
How to boost my outdoor TV antenna signal closing words
All of these tricks will go a long way in helping you boost your signal. If you are still having an issue, then you will want to look at all of these factors and see if there may be something else that is affecting your signal. Sometimes the most obstructive thing is the one thing that you tend to look past. If you do everything as you should, then your chances of having amazing reception will go up.
Additional Resources and Reading
I wanted to share with you the details of my personal living room antenna setup. Over the years, I've tried many different indoor antennas, amplifiers, splitters, and configurations to squeeze out as many free TV channels as possible. I've finally gotten it to where I'm picking up all of the broadcast stations that are available in my area.
Oddly enough, in spite of all of the gadgets I've tried, my optimal antenna setup turned out to be very simple! There was no magic except for lots of experimentation with antenna location.
Where I Live
Just to give you some background, I live in Santa Monica, California, about 27 miles away from the TV transmitters on Mt. Wilson. Even though the Station Finder reports many green (strong) stations, my signals are not that strong inside my condo because the windows face the wrong direction.
My TV
I have only one TV in my condo. It's a ten-year old 46' Sony LCD with built-in digital tuner in my living room. Nothing unusual here. Cinemagraph pro 2 8 32.
My Antenna
I regularly recommend two indoor flat antennas: the Mohu Leaf and the Cable Cutter Aerowave by HD Frequency. These antennas have performed the best in my testing.
Over the years, I've switched back and forth between these antennas but in this setup, I'm using the Cable Cutter Aerowave because it fits cosmetically where I have it now (you'll see this later).
For many people who want an indoor TV antenna though, I still recommend the Mohu Leaf (with a separately-purchased RG6 coax cable) because it's cheaper with about the same performance, and it's less noticeable on a white wall.
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My Antenna Location
Over the course of many months, I experimented to find the best location for my indoor antenna - one that would get me the most channels.
My TV signals come from the East, but unfortunately my windows face North. Furthermore, my windows (actually sliding patio doors) are recessed from the side of the building, so signals from the East are blocked. Even though I have lots of strong 'green' channels on the Station Finder, my indoor reception is not that great.
I experimented with positions all around my TV and window but never could get solid reception for all of the stations in my area at the same time. In one position, PBS and the upper channels would be good, but the lower ones would be flaky. In another position, the lower channels would be good, but the upper ones would be bad. If you've done your own antenna experiments, you know what I'm talking about.
I was getting desperate, even considering an outdoor antenna, when I tried something crazy: putting the antenna on the inside of my front door. This gave a tremendous improvement in reception! So, that's where I have it now.
I chose the Cable Cutter Aerowave over the Leaf in this case because it's almost invisible on my door and just by dumb luck fits almost perfectly in one of the recesses of my door:
My front door is further out than my windows, so it has less obscured line of site to the transmitters. Plus, it's solid wood with no metal, unlike my double-paned windows with screen.
The lesson from this is to go ahead and try whacky locations for your antenna like laying it flat on the floor or putting it on a door. Windows usually work well, but not always.
My Cables
Doing antenna experiments requires a cable long enough to put your antenna in a wide variety of locations in your room. Often the cable that comes with the antenna is of poor quality, or it's not long enough, or both (which is the case with the Mohu Leaf).
I have a variety of lengths of RG6 coax cable which I use to experiment with. If you have a Mohu Leaf, I definitely recommend buying a selection of RG6 cables in different lengths.
Because I do lots of antenna experiments, I ended up using two RG6 cables spliced together, allowing me to insert amplifiers, splitters, etc. in the signal path. Doing this sacrifices a little bit of signal quality, so you shouldn't do this. Just use one RG6 cable long enough to reach the ideal location, but not too much longer than required.
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My Second Antenna
I have a second antenna (a Mohu Leaf) in the skylight of my condo attached to a Tablo for recording. This is the highest point in my condo and has good reception. If you have a skylight, definitely try putting your antenna in it!
Using the Tablo means that I don't have to run the antenna cable all the way to my TV. It just goes to my Tablo, which connects to my home's Wi-Fi network. I use the Tablo app on my Roku to view live or recorded TV on the Tablo.
In case you're wondering why I use separate antennas for my TV and for my Tablo. Well, the Tablo is great for recording but not so great for channel surfing. It takes a long time to switch between channels using the Tablo. I like the ability to turn my TV on and instantly surf around.
I could have used used my downstairs antenna for both my TV and my Tablo, but I had the extra antenna, and I had this set up for an experiment, so I just left it. You don't need to use two antennas for a TV and a Tablo.
No Amplifiers
I experimented with various types and brands of TV signal amplifiers. While they gave some improvement on certain channels, the net effect was negative so I ended up not using any!
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In my experience, when you have strong TV signals around, amplifiers do NOT improve reception. If all of your channels are weak, they might help. But, don't expect magic 'night-and-day' results from using an amplifier, and be prepared to return it if it doesn't work for you.
My Channels
I now watch dozens of free broadcast TV channels. This includes all of the major networks, several PBS channels, and many local stations.
Summary
So, after all of my antenna experimentation, my optimal setup ended up simply being a flat indoor antenna attached directly to my TV! I'm not using a powered antenna, amplifier or splitter. I am using good RG6 coax cable with just enough length to do the job.
Of course, the TV reception in your home will be different and unique. But, I believe that in most cases it's best not to spend a bunch of money on different antennas and amplifiers. Instead, use good quality RG6 cable and experiment with different antenna locations in your home until you get the best reception.
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I hope this has helped. What is your antenna setup like? Please share below. I'd love to hear about your favorite antenna or ideal setup! - Brian