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Guide on How To Boost TV Antenna Signal Homemade
The increasing cost of owning and using cable TV has made most homeowners seek feasible alternatives in the form of antennas. This has resulted in an increasing demand for an antenna with tons of companies springing up all over the world.
The only disadvantage to owning an antenna is setting it up to not only pick up stations but to offer an increased viewing experience. If you’re tired of paying hundreds of dollars annually for poor signal, then this piece is for you. While the ideas that would be shared in this piece are capable of boosting your home antenna signal, it is important that you own a modern TV.
Without wasting much of your time, let’s dive into how you can boost antenna signals.
Items You’ll Needing To Boost an Antenna Signal Homemade
While you’re keen on boosting your antenna signal as fast as possible, there are a couple of items you will need if you’re to successfully achieve this. These items include:
- A modern TV and controller – This is the most important item you’d be needing for this. As mentioned earlier, your TV should be a modern or smart one to be able to carry out most of the functions
- Tape – This item is ideal if you do not want to peel off your wall paint. In addition to this tape, you’d also need to get tin foil.
- Coax cable – While most antenna owners all have spare coax cables, if you do not own one then you should get one. They are moderately priced.
Owning and gathering these items beforehand helps make the job easier, while in the process ensuring a seamless and smooth boost of TV antenna signal.
How To Boost TV Antenna Signal Homemade
To boost your TV antenna signal, there are a couple of steps you have to follow if you want to successfully complete this. The steps are;
Step 1 – You Need To Cut The Cable
While cutting the cable may look like an easy task for you, there are actually strict guidelines you need to follow. Although they may look basic, they are capable of either making or breaking the entire task of boosting your TV antenna signal from home.
- To make two antennas, you’ll need to cut the coax cable into two separate parts. Once you’ve don’t that, you need to carefully and slowly take out the “inner insulation” found in the cable. To avoid cutting yourself in the process, you may have to wear protective gear but if you do not own one, then you should be extra careful when cutting the cable.
- It is particularly advised that you do not cut the metallic shield found in the cable. Utmost precision and care should be implored when doing this.
- Without ruining the metallic shield, twist it to make it look like a wire. For the inner insulation, you simply need to twist it around the copper wire.
- Once that is done, you’d have to carefully take out the white insulation found in the cable.
Step 2 – Time To Make The Antenna
Making the antenna can be quite tricky, especially if this is your first time. There are two distinct designs you can opt for — connected ends and separate ends.
While you’re probably wondering which is better, the truth of the matter is that statistically, neither is. However, most users over time have argued that the “separate end” design tends to find more channels than the other design. Also, the “connected end” design has been said to be more stable and doesn’t cut as easily as the other design type.
It is currently up to you to decide which of the design types you would opt for.
Step 3 – Connecting The Cable To Your Modern or Smart TV
Before you can connect this to your TV, there’s actually one little thing you should take care of and that that is connecting the aluminum foil.
You’d simply have to connect the aluminum foil to the ends of the cable. Like the other steps mentioned here, it is advised that you make this cut with care and precision, this is to prevent the foil from cutting short. Try to tape the aluminum foil to the cable to prevent it from falling off.
Upon completion, go ahead and tape the foil and the cable together on the wall it will be mounted on. Connecting to your TV can be quite tricky, especially if you do not own a modern TV. For instance, most of the smart TVs all come with an inbuilt tuner while older TVs would require you to install one yourself.
To get started, these are the steps you need to take.
- First, you would need to connect the uncut end of the coax table to your modern TV, then turn it on. Once that is done, you’d be required to choose the brand and model of your TV.
- With the help of your TV controller or remote, tap on the MENU button, then search for the CHANNEL search or EZ Setup.
- While your cable is already connected to an antenna, most of the time, the antenna itself receives a broadcast signal from the air. The next thing to do right now is to choose between — AIR and ANTENNA.
- Depending on the brand and model of TV you own, the search for channels may take up to five (5) minutes. While the channel search is ongoing, you are advised not to move or try to touch the antenna. This could disrupt the search process.
- Once the search is complete, you can enjoy unlimited and uninterrupted TV viewing.
Step 4 – Boost TV Antenna Signal Homemade
Most TVs available today all come with a signal setup option that tells if a channel has a strong signal. If there are local channels that you notice are not picked up by your TV, you may decide to input them manually.
If the signal for any channel is zero, then it can only mean one thing — the antenna is placed on the wrong side of the house. What should you do? In cases like this, you have to move the antenna around until the signal is 50:60.
Tips For Getting Better TV Antenna Signal
Still experiencing poor signal even after following the steps mentioned earlier? Fortunately for you, there are proven tips and tricks that can be implored to get an optimal signal at home.
Search for the broadcast towers in your local area
This is actually the first thing you need to do before deciding to mount an antenna at home. It should be done even before you decide to acquire an antenna. Identifying the broadcast towers in your area will help you better grasp the importance of antennas and how they are helpful in picking up the channels you’d love to watch.
Currently, there are a ton of websites capable of helping you locate the various broadcast towers in your area
Mount your antenna close to your window or exactly at your window
The fewer obstructions between your antenna and the direction of the broadcast tower, the better for you. Unknown to most people, walls, and ceilings are obstructions that are capable of hindering optimal access to a broadcast tower. Provided there is no other major obstruction like a tree, mounting your antenna in an elevated position close to your window will ensure direct access to a close broadcast tower, which in turn ensures a better and clearer viewing experience.
While placing your antenna on your window may be ideal, there are important pointers you should take to heart. They include;
- Be wary of any form of heat absorption. According to experts, you should ensure that the white side of the antenna faces outside to prevent heat absorption.
- Secondly, work to tape the cable and coil to the window as mentioned earlier.
Place at an elevated position
If you decide to make use of any of the broadcast tower identification tools, they’ll ask that you input the height of the antenna. There’s an important reason for this question — the higher your antenna is, the better reception you get. It’s that simple.
It is advised that you place your antenna high to get better reception and in turn a better viewing experience. If you live in an area where a broadcast tower is far away from your place of residence, then you may consider placing your antenna higher than usual.
Keep away from metal
Generally, metallic items or surfaces close to your antenna can cause interruptions and from time to time block your overall signal reception. To explain better, if your antenna is placed close to a window where there’s a metallic burglary proof or bars, it could affect your reception.
This means that if your roofing is metallic or your window bars are metallic, then mounting your antenna there is futile. Try keeping your antenna farther away from any metallic object.
Try Out Different Antenna Positions
While everyone will simply love to mount an antenna and begin receiving a signal, it doesn’t work that way. You need to try out different antenna positions before you settle for one. Ideally, testing different positions will ensure that you get the best one.
This is also ideal for people that live in areas where a broadcast tower is far away from them.
Conclusion
Getting the best signal reception when watching TV is very important. Over time, it has become difficult for most antenna owners to boost TV antenna signal, this piece discusses a step-by-step guide to boosting your signal from home.
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