If you want the best over-the-air TV signal, the secret lies in how you install the antenna. Here’s a layman’s guide to TV antenna installation.
One component of your home that can have a surprising impact on the quality of your life is none other than your TV antenna.
Don’t believe me?
Well, just think about this scenario. You’ve just come home from a long day at work, and you’ve got your feet propped up and you’re enjoying your favorite trash reality TV show. Just when the conflict starts getting spicy, you see the static screen of death wash across your screen. This ruins our night and frustrates you to no end.
To avoid this unfortunate situation, you need a proper TV antenna installation. Fortunately for you, we’ve written a guide to that. In this article, you’ll learn all the basic principles of a good TV antenna installation.
Pick the Right Antenna
The first step as you embark on your journey of learning how to set up your over the air TV antenna is to pick the right unit for the job. To do this, you’ll need to know the approximate distance from your property to the nearest broadcast tower.
You can use an online service for this purpose. There are many tools that will display the nearest broadcast tower on the map and the approximate straight-line distance relative to your address. This allows you to figure out how powerful of an antenna you need.
For instance, if you are 50 miles away from the antenna but only buy a unit rated for 25 miles, then you have no hope of ever getting a proper signal.
Last but not least, also decide if you want an indoor or outdoor antenna. Outdoor antennas will typically always work better since they face less obstruction, but an outdoor antenna may be impractical on some properties.
Face It in the Right Direction
Another reason why you’ll need to know where your closest broadcast towers are is so that you can face the antenna in the right direction. If you purchase a unidirectional antenna (which is the cheapest option), then it will only work when pointed correctly. If you’re not sure how to do this right, view here for serviced installation options.
The Higher It Is, The Better for You
The next thing to remember with antenna placement is that the higher it is, the better signal that you’ll get. If you did get an outdoor unit, place it at the highest point on your building.
With an indoor antenna, make sure that it goes on the top floor. Face it through a window so that the reception doesn’t have to force its way through a wall. Removing other obstructions, like nearby pieces of metal, will also serve to greatly enhance the quality of the signal you receive.
TV Antenna Installation, Made Simple
There you have it — now that you know how to do TV antenna installation the right way, there’s no reason why you should ever have to have your favorite late-night TV shows rudely interrupted by poor signal!
For more home improvement advice, you’re in the right place. Be sure to check out the rest of the articles on the website!
