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How to Boost Your TV Antenna Signal

If the TV signal is too weak, the tuner cannot decode it. As a result, the TV will show neither picture nor sound.

Therefore, the user should consider how to boost the TV antenna signal.

Let’s understand the causes of the problem and ways to improve the quality of terrestrial television received.

Causes of a Weak Signal

The digital signal transmitted by a repeater may be too weak to receive for the following reasons:

• Long distance from the transmitting tower.
  The same “inverse square law” applies to UHF radio waves, including digital television broadcasts, as it does to other types of electromagnetic radiation.
• Absorption of waves by the atmosphere.
  The air is practically radio-transparent, but dust, fog, and moisture can scatter and reflect the signal.
• Obstacles in the path of radio waves.
  UHF broadcasting is received in the line of sight, and the waves do not practically circle obstacles. If something blocks radio waves, the signal will be weak. This can happen if there are buildings, hills, or tall trees between the repeater and the receiving antenna. This is more appropriate when room antennas, as walls, even thin ones, absorb electromagnetic waves.
• Only reflected signals are received.
  If an object blocks radio waves between the antenna and the repeater, only reflected TV signals will be received. These signals come from other objects, like nearby buildings, and their radiation is often weaker than the original signal from the TV tower.
• Poor quality receiving equipment: antenna with low sensitivity, cable with high impedance, etc.

There can be many reasons, and influencing them is usually difficult or impossible. Therefore, you must choose the right way to improve your reception to watch TV without freezing and scattering pictures.

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How to Boost TV Antenna Signal

Strengthening the signal of the TV antenna is achieved in 5 ways:

1. Use a higher quality TV antenna than the existing one.
   Depending on the design, you can gain a few dB here.
2. Accurate orientation.
   Most devices that work in the UHF band have a specific design. They receive signals best from one direction. Even a 5-10 degree turn can seriously increase signal strength.
3. Replace the cable.
   If the distance between the antenna and the receiver is too long, much of the signal power is lost due to the wire’s resistance. Do not use a feeder with low resistance. For example, avoid one with a center core made of pure copper; instead, use copper-plated steel.
4. Move the TV closer to the antenna.
   The cable becomes shorter: sometimes, even 7-10 feet can be decisive. Reducing the length of the feeder avoids unnecessary loss of signal power.
5. Use an antenna amplifier.

We will dwell on the last option in detail, as it often turns out to be decisive.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Connecting an Amplifier

Connecting an amplifier to your TV antenna provides a benefit:

• a dramatic increase in signal strength even when using an antenna of the same design;
• no need to worry about the location of the TV set.
  This is especially noticeable if you use an active antenna, where the amplifier board is part of the design. In this case, the signal sent to the TV is powerful. Even a whole coil of cable won’t block it. If you use an external amplifier, place it closer to the antenna. You will still notice better power and signal quality.

The image and sound will stop slowing down and freezing. Unlike analog television, digital television is encoded. When an analog TV loses signal, it wheezes and shows ripples on the screen. In contrast, a digital TV goes silent and repeats the last frame when the signal disappears.

If you intend to connect the amplifier at home, you need to keep in mind the possible drawbacks and limitations:

1. The complexity and cost of the equipment increase.
   Even using a simple solderable amplifier, you will still need new parts. These include fasteners, connectors, a power supply, and special tools. However, this will not be a problem if you like to work with your hands.
2. You will have to take care of the power supply.
   Any amplifier turns the incoming signal into an exact copy with more power. To obtain additional power, you need an external adapter connected to the mains. A set-top box or TV with an active antenna socket can be a suitable power source. It can send voltage through the feeder.
3. Not in all cases is the use of amplification appropriate.
   To create a powerful copy, you need a high-quality original. If the TV signal is full of noise and interference, the amplifier will boost it, too. So, even filters and tuners may not always tell valuable signals apart from unwanted ones.
4. Overamplification will produce the opposite result.
   If a signal is too strong at the antenna input, the equipment will ignore it and not play it. So, in places where passive antenna reception works, you should not use the amplifier. If your model has a regulator, lower the power factor.

Also read: Depending on its location on the screen, a dead pixel in the form of a black dot could be a warranty issue on a Samsung TV.

How to Choose the Right One

When choosing an amplifier, the owner of the TV needs to consider the following parameters:

• The required amplification range.
  It can be broadband, which works with different VHF and UHF ranges. However, this can lead to some loss in reception quality. Universal amplifiers are usually not as good as specialized ones. It can also be multi-band, with separate amplification units for each frequency range.
• Type of device.
  The amplifier can be built into the active antenna or connected to a cable from outside.
• Type of power supply.
  You can supply voltage to the amplifier using a coaxial cable or an external power supply unit. Separately powered amplifiers are more powerful.

Example Wiring Diagram

This scheme is the simplest. It strengthens the signal from the apartment’s internal antenna. It can also boost the signal from a passive external antenna at home.

Connection is performed as follows:

1. Using a coaxial cable, the antenna is connected to an external amplifier (preferably through lightning protection).
2. The TV and the amplifier are connected similarly via input and output jacks.
3. The power adapter of the amplifier is connected to the main power supply through a household socket.

If the antenna is placed on a mast, add lightning protection. This fuse-like device is inserted into the coaxial cable break. If lightning discharges on the antenna, the lightning protection burns out and breaks the circuit. So, only the fuse needs to be replaced. This is better than changing all the equipment, which could cause a fire from a short circuit.

If you need to connect two TV sets to one antenna, use a splitter. This device connects to the cable between the amplifier and the TV. It evenly splits the signal power between the two channels. A splitter with an operating frequency of 5 to 1000 MHz is sufficient for terrestrial digital broadcasting.

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Example of switching on a splitter

Scheme for using a splitter to split the signal from the antenna to two TV sets. The amplifier’s power supply goes through the feeder and passes through one of the input outputs of the splitter.

Problems with terrestrial TV signal reception

Problem with antenna positioning

Over-the-air (OTA) television is a cheap way to get local news, nationally televised sports, and primetime TV on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and other networks.

If the equipment meets the correct standards and the TV is not finding the channels, The second biggest reason could be improper antenna installation. If all the antenna rotations prove useless or you use a room antenna that receives the signal worse, you can consider buying an amplifier. Make sure your equipment matches the TV you want to catch.

When checking, you should consider the following:

• Digital antennas are susceptible to the direction of reception: for a satellite, even a few degrees is already a critical error. The directional pattern of terrestrial antennas is such that they work more reliably when they are pointed with the axis toward the source of the UHF signal. For terrestrial reception, you should use a repeater map, where each point on the map will show the azimuth and distance for the nearest transmitter. A compass in that direction should orient the antenna.
• No objects should be opaque to radio radiation on the straight line connecting the antenna and the signal source.
  Such objects are uneven ground, capital buildings made of brick and reinforced concrete, metal roofs, etc., and even too-dense crowns of trees. UHF signals do not go around obstacles but are reflected or, more often, absorbed.
• Interference from running electrical devices can also contribute. Therefore, if the TV antenna is not catching, you can try to find a new location away from any sources of interference and tune it there. Digital signals are much more tolerant of interference due to encoding, but even the TV tuner’s sensitivity is limited.

Also read:  To transmit the signals, you need not just a wire but a cable of the coaxial type.

Problem with the connection of the equipment

Another source of problems in the operation of the TV is the improper connection of receiving devices.

Here, you should proceed with the following:

1. A cable with a wave impedance of 75 Ohm should be used for connection—almost all antenna devices up to the TV are designed for this. The wire must ensure regular broadcasting, so the norms concerning signal attenuation should be observed.
2. Properly apply gain blocks.
   These are of little use for satellite dishes but are very effective for over-the-air reception. A room antenna is often installed with an external or built-in amplifier.

Program failures

Another problem is software failures during tuning. Decoding a digital signal requires that the TV tuner confidently perform a specific work algorithm. And if it is broken, audio and video information play with interference.

1. The antenna is connected to the TV.
2. Check the operability of the connection: when activating theWhennu” function, the tuner setting should appear on the screen. If this does not happen, it is necessary to ss of connection to the connection to the TV receiver.
3. The tuning function is activated in the menu. Usually, it is located under the item “Channels,” “Broadcasting,” or similar.
4. Auto search is activated. How exactly this works depends on the TV’s specific model. To activate it, read the user manual. The results of the auto-search are recorded in the tuner’s memory.
5. If the automatic scanning of the range does not yield results, a manual search for TV channels is performed. In this case, it is necessary to which scanning will be carried out and further managed. How exactly this must be set and managed should be done depending on the design of the receiving device. Before setting up, it is necessary to auctions and read them. They must be used and read.

Also read:  What is a dead pixel? It is a pixel that glows with a single color regardless of the image on the screen.

Technical problems on the transmitter side

If the receiving equipment is set up typically and is functioning within the technical limits of the norm, there is likely a problem on the transmitting side.

One of the channels may be disconnected on the repeater nearest you for technical reasons.

If you have problems with signal reception from a satellite or terrestrial operator, you should check if it has transmission issues. As a rule, information is posted on the official website. Then, the only thing left to do is to wait until the technical difficulties are solved. If such problems are not reported in your territory, you can find their duty phone number, which you can call to clarify the presence of malfunctions.

Frequent problems and their solutions

No channels at all, “no signal”

Check the following factors:

The serviceability of the equipment (the TV itself, the antenna, and the cable connecting them). If problems are detected, it is better to contact a repairman.

Antenna adjustment.
UHF antennas are susceptible to the direction from which the signal comes. You may be able to correct the problem by changing the orientation of the antenna.

Distance to the repeater and its power.
You may be in a “dead zone” that broadcasting has yet to cover. Until new towers are built, this area will not receive broadcasts. The only option is satellite broadcasting, which is available everywhere.

Interference to radio wave propagation from nearby natural (hills, mountains, and other elevations) and man-made objects (steel and reinforced concrete buildings) can interfere with signal transmission. You can correct it by changing the antenna’s position (for example, raising it higher to get out of the interference zone) and adjusting the reception of the reflected signal. You can also try to catch the air from another broadcaster if it is within the antenna reception range.

Valuable resources for digital terrestrial broadcasting:

• Have at least one ATSC 3.0 station transmitting one NEXTGEN TV service. (Most markets have three to five available NEXTGEN TV services.
• A site about NEXTGEN TV
• ATSC 3.0 Station List
• NEXTGEN TV is a free, over-the-air service available to viewers with an antenna in most significant markets.

The channels were there but have disappeared

If the reception was confident before, but then suddenly the channels disappeared, the reason may be:

• A new obstacle has appeared between the antenna and the repeater. It is worth studying the reception map and surveying the surrounding area.
• Technical problems on the repeater are usually reported in the local news, so checking the reports in the regional media and local public forums is necessary.
• Antenna problems. You should check if it is displaced or if the antenna cable is broken.

Also, LG has replaced the small lens array layer on the panel surface (MLA) with a new Primary RGB Tandem structure.

Weak signal

The following is possible here:

• The repeater is too far away from the receiver.
  There is nothing you can do except purchase a new active antenna that can also receive such signals. This can be corrected by fine-tuning the antenna and purchasing an amplifier.
• Obstructions to radio wave propagation.
  The solution is to move the antenna to another location.
• Interference and flooding.
  Digital TV has a unique property: whether the signal is received clearly or not caught in any way. Here, you should wait for the interference to disappear or try to adjust the antenna and tuner.

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