TV antennas are crucial for accessing free, uncompressed over-the-air broadcast signals. They enable users to cut the cord and eliminate their monthly cable or satellite bills, saving lots of money over time.
It also continues providing reliable access to local news, as well as live sports and emergency broadcasts. The installation of a TV antenna is great to have, but success depends heavily on your antenna placement and on your local terrain.
There’s plenty to know about when it comes to installing a TV antenna on your home. Let’s take a look at what to do before getting started and the benefits of having a TV antenna.
What to Know Before Installing a TV Antenna
To improve the success of a TV antenna’s performance, there are some things worth knowing and doing beforehand.
- Check signal strength and transmitter direction
Before buying or installing anything, you’ll want to use a postcode checker to find which local transmitter you should point your aerial toward. Tall buildings and dense trees, as well as hills, significantly degrade your signal.
It’s also good to know whether horizontal or vertical polarisation is needed. You can determine the correct position by matching the direction and tilt of the neighbouring rooftop aerials.
- Choose the right location
Antenna performance is often governed by the height and line-of-sight available. It’s helpful to look at what provides the strongest reception, which in most cases would be outdoors/rooftop.
A great, hidden alternative would be the loft space, and if you live very close to a broadcast tower, then indoors may work. However, they need to be placed high up near a window, and again, your home needs to be within a very close vicinity of the tower itself.
- Cables and hardware
Use a high-quality coaxial cable to help minimise the signal loss of TV antennas. This will typically be an RG6 or a PF100 copper.
If you need to run cables through walls or over long distances, then you will need expertise to get it sorted. Being far from a transmitter or if you’re splitting the feed to multiple TVs, then you will be more than likely in need of a signal amplifier (booster) or a powered splitter to help maintain picture quality.
- Legalities and safety
It’s helpful to be aware of the permissions required when it comes to installing a TV antenna on your home. For some areas, it might be that you need planning permission from your local council/governing body before erecting an external antenna.
If you’re mounting an outdoor antenna, then you shouldn’t be attempting to work on a high or steep roof if you’re not comfortable doing so. Hiring a professional, accredited contractor is the best way of minimising any risks on your part.
- Tuning Your Television
Once your aerial is physically set up and aimed, then it’s time to plug it into the back of your TV or set-top box. You’ll then navigate through your TV’s settings and select the Antenna input source and run an Auto-Tune to help locate the channels you’re after.
Follow these steps, and you’ll have great success and clarity with your TV antenna experience.
