At the moment, indoor antennas are much less popular than satellite reception systems. This is due to the fact that this type of receiving device provides a much lower quality signal even at a short distance from the TV tower. It is for this reason that it can become a backup option in case of interruptions or lack of cable or satellite television.
Content
- Advantages and disadvantages
- How to choose an antenna
- Antenna tuning
Normal signal quality will be provided only in large cities - for example, regional centers, where more powerful transmitters have been built. Recently, television antennas with an amplifier are often purchased for receiving digital TV, for example, in new buildings.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the advantages of indoor antennas are low cost, ease of connection, compactness and the resulting possibility of free movement. But there are also disadvantages:
- lower sensitivity in comparison with outdoor receiving devices;
- high susceptibility to interference, which is especially noticeable when receiving an analog signal.
How to choose an antenna
First, you should find out if there is any television broadcasting at the location of the indoor antenna with an amplifier. The presence of digital broadcasting can be checked on the website of the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network.
You need to click on the interactive map at your location. The distance to the nearest digital TV tower will be displayed; channels that broadcast the digital signal of one or both multiplexes, as well as the angle through which the receiving device must be turned. Based on this, a suitable device can be selected.
There are two types of indoor antennas: with an amplifier (active) and without it (passive). There are models specially designed for receiving a signal in the meter and decimeter ranges. The latter will also receive the best digital TV signal.
Passive indoor antennas usually consist of two telescopic rods interconnected inside the housing and connected to the RF cable through a matching device. Such a device will provide reliable reception of analog and digital broadcasts very close to powerful transmitters, for example, in the centers of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, at a distance of no more than five kilometers from them.
The TV antenna with amplifier (active) provides a stronger signal. This improves the reception of analog and digital television at some distance from the repeater. It is best suited for those who live within 25 km of the nearest TV transmitter.
The amplifier can be powered in different ways:
- From a regular outlet through a power supply unit built into the antenna housing or located separately.
- Directly from a set-top box for receiving digital TV broadcasting via an antenna cable. At the output of the set-top box, the direct current and the high-frequency signal are mixed, and inside the antenna they are separated.
Antenna tuning
Insert the cable plug securely into the antenna jack on your TV or set-top box. Then you need to fully extend the mustache and spread them at an angle of 120 to 170 degrees. If the amplifier is powered from an electrical outlet, insert the plug and press the power button or turn the adjustment knob clockwise. The power indicator should also light up.
During the initial setup, the antenna should be placed on the window, since this is where the signal level will be greatest. Install it away from any sources of interference such as computers, microwave ovens, transformers and the like, and any electrical wires. It should not be allowed that people and pets could not catch on or throw it off. If you install the antenna away from the window, you will not be able to achieve good reception. After that, you should configure the TV according to the instructions. Channel numbers for analogue and digital broadcasting (with manual search) can be found on the above sites.
It is recommended to tune the TV manually, as some channels may be ignored during auto search. After twow, how will all channels be tuned, you will need to more accurately orient the indoor antenna in order to achieve the best picture and sound quality on analogue channels. To do this, you should carefully move and rotate the wave receiver and its "mustache", trying to reduce visual interference in the form of "grid", "snow", "creeping points", and so on.
In the case of receiving a digital signal, antenna tuning will be easier. It is necessary that the scales of quality and signal strength were filled at least 25 percent. The greatest stability will be ensured when the signal strength and quality is at least 50 percent.
If you fail to accept good quality signal, then you should make sure that the broadcast is carried out at all. Move away from or turn off sources of interference such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, computers or laptops, and energy saving lamps. And you can also increase the gain by turning the knob to the right as far as it will go. If all these measures do not help, then the problem lies in the considerable distance from the TV tower. In this case, use an external wave receiver.
