Having poor TV reception is a very frustrating time because it always happens when you are watching your favorite show. Most people go about it the wrong way to fix their TV antenna’s by quickly running out to the local hardware store to buy an antenna booster. They come back home, install the booster to only realize that their reception was the same.
You might think the cause of the poor reception is having a “weak signal”, but there are many other factors that contribute to the poor TV reception. Majority of the reception or signal problems come from interfering frequencies. Before we get into the nitty gritty about TV antenna boosters, lets take a brief look at how TV singals work.
The workings of TV signals
A TV signal works in the same way as a FM or AM signal work. The only difference is that the TV signal carries picture and audio. Since the TV signals carry pictures, they must use very high frequencies. The two high frequencies are VHF(Very High Frequency) and UHF(Ultra high Frequency)
The TV station emits the signal within a certain distance. As the signals travel more distance, the weaker it gets or a minor delay in the transmission. Your receiving antenna picks up these signals that are within range and the result is your great TV show. This is how it is supposed to work without any flaw. The reality is very different.
Causes of Weak TV signals
The best kind of reception is when your antenna and the tower have a clear line of sight. Clear line of sight is basically when there are no obstructions, buildings, mountains or trees between your antenna and the station tower. This will yield the greatest results.
There are numerous different causes that can reduce the strength of the TV signal. Radio waves travel easily in dry and warm climate versus rain. In the rain the water slows down the speed at which the radio waves can travel causing disruption of service. This is why you see a lot of static during thunderstorms. Other than thunderstorms, any obstacle in between the antenna and station tower will cause the signal to weaken.
Another source of weak signal is when there is Electromagnetic Interference (EMI ). In a nutshell, EMI occurs when the antenna is picking up multiple different signals but instead of the signals coming from TV stations, that can be reflected, they come from machines such as welders, computer servers, power tools, medical equipment etc…
Solving Weak TV Signals
Now that we know the causes of weak signal’s, we can start looking at some easy solutions.
One of the primary causes of weak signal are obstructions. Having things between the station tower and your antenna will cause problems. For example, if you live in a valley, the signal will have to “bend” around the hills before it can reach your house.
Make sure you have a great outdoor antenna that is sensitive to picking up radio waves. You should install it as high as possible. Try to mount it on your roof since the roof of your house will be the highest area. This will allow your antenna to get good signal strength.
A good antenna should have high “gain”. A high Gain antenna is sensitive to catching radio waves from its front. It is considered a directional antenna because it will be able to catch the strongest signals from the font. In order for you to point the antenna towards the station tower, you must know exactly where it is. So call up your local TV station and ask them the co-ordinates of the station tower. After point your high gain antenna in that direction to receive amazing signal.
TV Antenna Boosters
Majority of the TV antenna boosters on the market have a 50% shot at working. Your picture quality will only increase slightly. Most of the people who have invested in a TV antenna booster have either returned it or thrown it out. It is a hit or miss. I would suggest you buy one with a good return policy just incase the antenna does not work as expected.