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lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on October 20, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email TV & Displays Samsung Projectors Antennas HDMI & Connections Remote Controls
What to Know
Distance, obstacles, antenna type, the number of antennas in use, and TV tuner sensitivity all affect TV reception.Improve reception by removing obstacles, checking antenna connections, running a channel scan, or using a signal amplifier.Consider trying a new antenna. Switching from an indoor one to an outdoor one can improve TV reception, for example.
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Cord-cutting has boosted internet streaming and given new life to receiving TV signals using an antenna. Instead of paying high cable or satellite bills, you can receive free TV over the air.
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However, there is more to receiving TV signals than buying an antenna and randomly placing it somewhere indoors or outdoors.
What Affects TV Reception
Several conditions affect TV reception.Distance
You may be too far from one or more TV station transmitters, which prevents signal reception.
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If you are too far, you'll experience the digital cliff, which is an abrupt TV signal drop-off. This is a by-product of the analog-to-digital TV broadcasting transition. With analog TV signals, as distance increased between the TV transmitter and the receiving antenna, there was gradual fading.
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Although you could be too far to receive the best quality, you could still watch a low-quality signal with a fuzzy image if it didn't bother you. TV signals are now transmitted digitally (1s and 0s), and there's no gradual fading as distance increases. You receive full quality all the time, intermittently, or not all.
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As you approach the digital cliff, the image may appear blocky, or it may cut out and come back. If you're too close to a TV transmitter, the signal may overpower your TV tuner or DTV converter box and, in some cases, damage those devices.
Obstacles
TV signals are affected by physical obstacles, including hills and trees.
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Some materials used in home construction, such as stucco, concrete, aluminum siding, metal roofs, foil-lined ducts and conduits, and solar panels limit the effectiveness of indoor or attic-placed antennas. Weather (such as wind and rain), interference from certain types of electrical equipment, and LTE cell towers sometimes temporarily cut off a TV signal. At very long distances, the earth's curvature can affect TV signal reception.
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Antenna Type
You might have several station transmitters in your local area, but these transmitters may not be in the same location. One station might transmit from the north, another from the west, and another from the east. If you have a directional antenna, it may not receive signals from multiple transmitter locations.
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If you have a multi-directional or omnidirectional antenna, interference is more likely.
Number of TVs Using the Same Antenna
If more than one TV is connected to the same antenna using a splitter, the signal loses strength. If three or four TVs are connected to an antenna, one or two might look fine, and the rest may only receive signals intermittently or not at all.
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You may create a homemade cliff effect.
TV Tuner Sensitivity
The sensitivity of your TV's tuner or a DTV converter box also affects antenna reception.Steps to Improve TV Antenna Reception
Knowing what causes antenna reception problems, you can use one or more of the following options to improve your TV signal.
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Remove obstacles. Remove obstacles, if possible. Make sure your antenna has a clear shot in the direction of the TV station transmitter.
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Check and replace antenna connections. Make sure the antenna and TV connections are secure.
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Check for brittleness and fraying. If you have an outdoor antenna, cables can get worn when exposed to the elements. Indoor antennas can be chewed by pets.
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Make sure the antenna connection terminals aren't rusted, and check the entire length of the cable, if possible, for breaks or cuts. You may not be able to check the portion of the cable that runs through a wall. If the cable is left over from the analog TV era, it may be 20 AWG (American Wire Gauge) RG59.
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Consider replacing it with a thicker 18 AWG RG6 cable. RG6 does a better job with digital TV signals, as it supports wider bandwidth, long-distance runs, and holds up better outdoors.
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Costs of cables vary depending on brand and length. Prices start at a few dollars for a three-foot or six-foot length. Run a channel scan.
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After checking the antenna placement and connections, go into the TV or DTV converter box setup menu, then run a new channel scan. New channels may be added that weren't available previously.
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If a station registers, you should be able to watch it. Use a rotor.
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If you have an outdoor antenna and receive TV signals from several directions, adding a rotor to the antenna might help. However, this solution is expensive, with prices for a complete kit ranging from about $100 to $200 or more.
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If you know the station transmitter locations, use a rotor to direct the antenna to the new channels and manually add those channels to your TV channel listings. Note the rotor position for the new channels. If you move the antenna using the rotor and rescan the channels, the TV may no longer list the previously scanned channels if the antenna doesn't receive those channels in the new position.
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Move the antenna. If you have an indoor antenna, placing it near or on a window avoids the materials used in wall construction that interfere with the signal. Also, place it as high as possible.
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If the length of the cable that goes from the antenna to the TV is too long, the signal may be weakened. To assist, you may need a signal amplifier. Use a signal amplifier.
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If you have trouble receiving TV signals, place a signal amplifier (also called a signal booster) between the antenna and TV to boost the signal. This also helps with low-sensitivity TV tuners and DTV converter boxes.
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Connect the cable from the antenna to the input of the amplifier, then connect the output to the TV's antenna input. You also need to plug the amplifier into power.
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Use a distribution amplifier for multiple TVs or use a separate antenna for each TV. If you have more than one TV, ideally, you should have a separate antenna for each. Splitting the signal decreases the signal strength, especially if the cable distance from the signal splitter and one or more TVs is long.
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A more practical solution is to use a distribution amplifier. You connect the main feed from the antenna to the input on the amplifier and connect the outputs of the amplifier to your TVs. Distribution amplifier prices vary depending on the brand, model, and the number of outputs provided.
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Voxx International/RCA Get an attenuator. If you are too close to the TV transmitter, and the signal is overloading your tuner or DTV converter box, use an attenuator to reduce the signal strength.
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Ideally, an attenuator with a continuous adjustment gives you the ability to set the amount of attenuation (gain) needed for different channels. The most common type is a small inline unit that you insert between the antenna and TV (or DTV converter box) and that has a fixed amount of reduced gain (3db, 6dB, 12dB).
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The hard part is figuring out how much gain reduction you need. One that has a variable gain control (3dB to 12dB) is best so that you can adjust it.
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Get A New Antenna
If you can't improve the reception of your current antenna, another option is to change it out for a new one. However, before you buy, consider the following: Don't fall for HD antenna advertising hype.
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All TV antennas receive analog, digital, and HD TV signals. Even those old rabbit ears can be used to receive digital and HD TV signals if the station transmitters are in range.
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However, newer antennas have better designs for pulling in signals but not because these are labeled HD antennas. If you canceled satellite, you can't use the dish to receive over-the-air TV signals. The dish is not the correct shape and has internal circuitry that isn't suitable for broadcast TV reception.
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However, if the coaxial cabling that connected the dish to your TV is in good shape, replace the dish with a TV antenna if the location is clear of obstacles for receiving terrestrial digital TV signals. Check out an example of how to replace the satellite signal receptor with a TV antenna.
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Find out if local stations broadcast on VHF or UHF. As a result of the DTV transition in 2009, most TV stations that formerly broadcast on channels 2-13 (VHF band) moved to UHF (channels 14-83) for digital broadcasting. Since it takes more power to transmit at higher frequencies, the effective range of the signals may be reduced.
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With the FCC reallocating portions of the TV broadcast spectrum for other uses, it has authorized a re-pack program where select TV stations are changing their transmission frequencies and transmitter locations (some for the second time since the original DTV transition). Switch from an indoor to an outdoor antenna. An outdoor antenna can improve your TV reception.
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Channel Master If you have a directional antenna, consider switching to an omnidirectional antenna. This provides better access to TV signals from different directions. However, the antenna's sensitivity decreases for signals coming from a specific direction (the antenna is less focused).
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While a directional antenna may receive a station farther away in a single direction, you may lose it if you switch to an omnidirectional antenna that works well for closer stations. Voxx International/RCA Antenna prices vary and range from less than $10 for a basic indoor antenna to over one hundred dollars for a long-range outdoor model. Don't assume that the distance range listed or advertised for your antenna is accurate.
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Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Improve FM Antenna Reception All About Over-The-Air Antennas (OTA) Can You Still Use an Analog TV? How to Set Up and Connect a Digital Antenna to Your TV How to Troubleshoot Your DTV Converter Box Expert Tested: The 5 Best TV Antennas of 2022 How to Choose an Outdoor Antenna How to Choose and Use the Best Over-the-Air Antenna for HDTV How to Live Stream the World Series (2022) The 7 Best Attic Antennas of 2022 How to Record Cable TV With a VCR Making TV-Band Radios Work With Digital TVs Where Is the Digital TV Tuner?
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