As you know, to watch TV, in addition to the TV itself, you need an antenna. In this article we will tell you how to choose the antenna for the TV and properly place it, for a stable and high-quality reception of the TV signal. And also briefly describe the basic arrangement of various types of antennas.

They can be divided into three main types:

• Outdoor.
• Satellite.
• Indoor.

What are their main differences, and what device is best for you in this case? Below we will take a closer look at these questions, and you yourself decide which device is best to choose.

Indoor

This type of device, as already clear from the name, is designed for installation directly in the premises. Due to the weak signal reception power, they are recommended to be used only in the zone of confident reception of the broadcast (about 30 kilometers from the television center or repeater). To increase power, it is best to use a television signal amplifier in conjunction with it. So you can greatly improve the quality and stability of the received signal. There are two types of indoor antennas:

• rod type;
• frame type.

The rod-type indoor antenna operates in a meter range and has from 2 to 4 whiskers-vibrators, which are signal receivers. The length of the whiskers depends on the design, so it can reach one meter. They are attached to the stand, inside it is a matching transformer, through which a signal is sent directly to the TV input via a coaxial cable. The whiskers usually have a telescopic structure, which together with the low weight of the entire structure provides it with greater mobility.

The tuning of the reception is reduced to changing the position of the whisker-vibrators in space and relative to each other. However, before choosing a device of this type should be taken into account, the minus of this setting is that with the normal reception of one channel, others can be unstable. Therefore, if you do not want to adjust each channel separately before watching it, you'll have to search for the "golden mean" when you configure all channels.

An antenna of the frame type operating in the decimeter range consists of an open metal contour (frame), mounted on a stand, and also connected to the receiving jack of the television receiver by means of a coaxial cable. Also, as a core, it is rather limited in its capabilities, so to improve reception, it is best to use a television signal amplifier in combination with it. Well-proven wide-range log-periodic antennas of frame type.

If you live near a television center or a repeater, are sure of the stability and strength of the received signal, then you can choose a room antenna for the TV. With this purchase, you can save considerably, since the price of these devices does not exceed 700-800 rubles.

Outdoor

If you do not have a suitable indoor antenna for some criteria, then you should consider purchasing an outdoor antenna. There are many different designs of this device. Therefore, we will not describe them all, but to help you choose the right device for your TV, we will limit ourselves to a general overview, as well as recommendations on the specifics of operation.

Manufacturers produce two main types of these devices:

• active;
• passive.

Active sold in a bundle with a power amplifier and designed to provide reception in conditions where there is interference with the passage of the signal. A lot of factors can be the interference and the reason for the need to amplify the signal, such as:

• remote location from the source of translation;
• obstacles that dissipate the translation (houses, other high-rise buildings, trees, power lines, etc.);
• nisin, located between the point of reception and the tower;
• weak or unstable signal from a TV tower or repeater.

Passive are acceptable if the TV tower is on the line of sight and there are no obstacles that impede the reception of the broadcast.

However, if you live too close to the source of the broadcast, then due to excessive power, there may be distortion of the received signal. In this case, you may need a special device that attenuates a strong signal - an attenuator.

By design, the outer antenna can be rod, frame (loop) or mixed type. The rod antenna, because of its low power, is best used as a passive antenna. The loop antenna is best used in conjunction with an amplifier, then it will provide a confident reception TV signal, in the absence of significant interference in the path of its propagation, at a distance of even more than 50 km from the source signal.

To properly select an outdoor antenna for a TV receiver, be guided by the above characteristics, based on the characteristics of the operating conditions.

Satellite

Satellite, otherwise known as parabolic, although they are in a completely different price category than the above, but are increasingly spread among the population. This is primarily due to the stable and qualitative reception of a much larger number of channels than it is possible to do with a simple external or internal antenna.

The satellite dish for the TV consists of the receiver itself and the receiver, with which this signal is decoded. Since it receives the signal directly from the satellite, the quality and stability of the TV signal directly depend on the location of the antenna relative to the source of translation (satellite), which must be taken into account when installation.

Satellite antennas, as we mentioned above, have the most stable reception of signals, image quality, as well as the number of received channels, which can be expanded by connecting paid packages. Stable reception of a satellite dish can only be prevented by precipitation, such as heavy rain or snow.

So we reviewed the most common types of antennas we sell. We hope that our article has helped you to learn something new for yourself and to choose the right antenna for your TV from the variety that is presented in the modern market of these devices.

We recommend reading: how to choose an antenna amplifier for a TV, why it does not show the TV properly