Television is one of the essential devices that every household must have for communication and entertainment. Imagine you are stuck at home and you cannot access the television? This scenario might become frustrating and annoying. This case is where an indoor antenna comes to your saving. You can receive robust signals and channel access with a suitable indoor antenna. Occasionally, getting a robust signal while using an indoor antenna can be difficult and frustrating. This article will primarily focus on how to boost indoor TV antenna signals.
Getting perfect reception using your indoor TV antenna can be straightforward in most cases. However, it can be difficult in some cases depending on how far you get located from the nearby transmission towers, geographic factors, and barriers to a line of sight such as tall buildings, thick walls, and trees. You have to worry less as you can do a few tricks to improve your indoor TV antenna signal strength for perfect reception.
Outdoor TV antennas, particularly those on rooftops or masts, usually offer the best performance, especially if you’re several miles from the nearest transmission towers. But an indoor HDTV antenna is straightforward to set up, and for some individuals, it’s the only helpful option. Receiving ideal reception from an indoor antenna can be a blend of science and art, though. Here’s what you are required to do.
What are the reasons behind weak indoor antenna TV signals?
Weak indoor antenna signals are due to some of the reasons described below:
i) Location
Location is the main reason behind weak indoor TV antenna signals. The place where you fix an antenna is essential. Therefore, it is vital to see if your vicinity and house location support indoor antennas. Some places are not suitable for any antennas, especially those placed indoors. This scenario is why the location of your room is a significant reason behind weak indoor TV antenna signals.
ii) Height of the indoor antenna
The height of your indoor antenna is another reason that contributes to weak TV signals. If you don’t have the minimum required height, you will get weak TV signals.
iii) Digital interference
The digital interference in your house can cause weak TV signals. It is essential to find the devices that cause interference and remove them from where you will fix your indoor digital antenna.
iv) Poor quality of antenna cables
The poor quality of the antenna cable you’re using is another reason for poor TV signals. If you use lousy quality and faulty antenna cables, you might receive weak TV signals and lousy audio-video digital signals.
What factors affect indoor antenna reception?
Below are factors that may lead to you suffering from poor reception while using an indoor antenna:
i) The antenna’s set up
Your indoor antenna setup can significantly affect your indoor antenna reception. You should install the indoor antenna towards the transmission towers for ideal reception and signal. An indoor antenna not appropriately fixed cannot receive a robust signal, resulting in poor or no TV signals. When installing indoor antennas, the article recommends that you should hire experts to get the job done.
ii) Antenna quality
The functionality of the new antenna is not much different from older models. However, the difference is that new antennas are designed to focus on specific locations. They can securely and efficiently accept VHF and UHF transmission frequencies.
iii) Signal strength at your location
Indoor antennas can help you save a lot of money that you pay for the costly cable TV. However, if the signal strength at your location is lousy, it is not valuable, and you are likely to get no digital TV at all. So, you must check if there is signal strength in your area.
iv) The age and condition of your indoor antenna
It is recommendable that you upgrade your indoor television antenna every five years. Many factors and activities in your vicinity can affect your indoor TV antenna signal, for instance, new buildings or a situation where you have moved or changed your residences.
What are the tips on how to boost indoor tv antenna signal?
Below are the tips and tricks you employ to boost your indoor TV antenna signal;
i) Use an Indoor Antenna Amplifier
If you are worried about boosting your indoor antenna signals, you might consider purchasing a TV signal booster. If your TV signal reception is awful because your home is some kilometers away from the nearest transmission tower, then you should get a booster if you do not have one. The booster is one of the best ways to improve the antenna signals in your home.
There are several TV signal boosters available in the market. Therefore, you must do proper homework before purchasing an indoor antenna booster. You can purchase any one of the best amplifiers listed below.
- Kingray MHW43FS booster
- TV Antenna Booster Aima124 digital
- TV Signal booster digital uhf vhf 10mm-MD34P
- Antronix Four Output TV Antenna Amplifier
- PingBingDing PBD HDTV TV Antenna Amplifier
ii) Place The Indoor Antenna Near A Window
The lesser obstructions between your indoor antenna and the broadcast towers, the better the TV signal. Note that thick walls and ceilings are signal obstructions, and placing your indoor antenna near a window gives excellent results. In addition, this can give you a new line of sight to the nearest broadcast tower, given that there isn’t a significant obstruction right outside of the window, such as a large tree or your neighbor’s thick wall.
iii) Remove the amplifier
If your indoor antenna comes with a booster attached to it, you should try to remove it. Try to unplug the amplifier from the antenna and see if there is an improvement in signal reception. If not, plug it back. Sometimes locations with robust stations do not need antenna amplifiers as they might cause swamping up of the reception. Therefore, remove the antenna from the amplifier and connect it directly to your television.
iv) Higher is better
When worrying about the perfect place is to fix your indoor TV antenna, the best recommendation is to go high. The antenna’s height is one of the essential factors boosting your TV signal for the best reception. Consequently, the article recommends placing it on a wall near a window or ceiling. This slight modification in placement can be an influential factor between good and poor TV signal reception.
v) Eliminate interference
It would be best to keep in mind that metallic surfaces and other radio devices near your indoor antenna can cause interference with the digital TV signals and even block your signal reception. For instance, when placing your antenna near a window, even the window metal burglar bars can cause issues, i.e., metal blocks TV and Radio signals. Therefore you should keep as much distance as practical objects causing interference, usually 6 feet or greater.
vi) Point the indoor antenna towards the transmission towers
It will help to7 position the antenna to face the nearest transmission tower in your city or town to get maximum reception. Every place has a location where they have transmission towers. You have to direct your indoor antenna to the end where the nearest transmission tower location is. If you do not know the location of the transmission tower in your city, you can try searching using a station folder map.
vii) Test Different Antenna Placements
The last activity you can do is an experiment and find what works suitable for you and your location. It is vital to note that not all indoor TV antennas function the same in every household. Your state is unique, and so is your TV signal.
An excellent tip to keep in mind about boosting indoor TV antenna signals is that location is crucial. If nothing else functions, try and relocate your antenna to a higher place and see what happens.
What are the best indoor TV antennas?
The following are the seven best indoor TV antennae you can buy for better signal reception;
- GE Ultra Edge Indoor TV Antenna
- U MUST HAVE an Amplified HD TV Antenna
- Mata1 HD TV Indoor Antenna
- ANTAN Indoor Window HDTV Antenna
- Winegard FL-55YR FlatWave Amplified Razor Thin HDTV Indoor Antenna
- Philips Indoor Amplified HD TV Antenna
- Zimtown 120 Miles Range Flat HD Digital Indoor Amplified TV Antenna with Amplifier
Bottom line
Indoor TV antennas have revolutionized in quality over the recent years. However, you still might not receive robust and efficient signals for several reasons. Fortunately, you can boost your indoor antenna signals by employing the tricks and tips discussed in the article.
Receiving a good signal might not be a complicated task after understanding the basics of how the TV and radio signal works. Therefore, consider purchasing and using an outdoor antenna if you are not still getting better reception after all these tips.
