This is the longer cable depicted in the image right traveling from the preamplifier inside your house to the power supply. Now run a cable from the output of the preamplifier labeled “TV OUT” or something similar. Once your preamplifier is securely fastened to your antenna mast, connect a short piece of RG6 coax cable to your antenna, and connect the other end to the input on the preamplifier labeled “ANT. You can us a U-bolt type clamp to affix the preamplifier to the mast as shown. The antenna preamplifier should be installed as close to the antenna as possible and is typically mast mounted. The higher the amplifiers dB rating the greater the signal strength is increased. The degree a signal amplifier increases the signal strength is measured in decibels (dB). The preamplifier is a great solution when you signal strength is degraded due to cable runs, splitters, etc. When Do You Need an Antenna Preamplifier? For an in-depth article on both RG6 cables and connectors, be sure to check out these two articles once you’re done here, I recommend Mediabridge Broadband Coaxial Cable or an equivalent high quality RG6 cable. If only 50 feet of cable is used, the loss will be half of the value given above (i.e. It’s important to remember that these losses are provided for 100 foot lengths of cable. Coax cable loss is normally specified in dB loss per 100 feet of cable.įor RG6 cable, you can expect losses as follows:Ĭhannel 2 (approx. The higher the frequency of the signal passing through the coax cable, the higher the loss over a given length. The longer the length of a piece of coax cable, the more signal is lost.
Signal loss through a length of coax cable is primarily a function of two things: Length and Frequency. RG6 is the most commonly used size due to the excellent trade off in price, size, handling and signal loss. However, we are going to focus on the most common one, RG6.
#BEST ANTENNA BOOSTER TV#
There are several different sizes of coax cable used for TV distribution systems in homes. In general, the longer the cable run between the antenna and the tuner or distribution amplifier, the greater the signal loss is going to be. It should be noted that signal loss is the number one reason for an unrepeatable digital signal.
#BEST ANTENNA BOOSTER INSTALL#
However, if you are planning a brand new installation, then all reasonable steps should be taken to install your antenna in a location that will have the shortest cable runs possible to your TV tuner or distribution amplifier. Since relocating your TV antenna may not be a viable option we are going to focus on points 2, 3 and 4 a little more here.
Using high quality RG6 cable with good shielding and low loss.Relocating your TV antenna installation (as discussed).This is often an easily overlooked issue that can be solved by implementing one or a combination of the following. This could include the need to install quality RG6 cable and high quality signal boosters. So assuming your antenna is near perfectly aligned and you’re still not satisfied with your reception quality, then it’s time to look at some other options. If not check out my article, The Best HDTV Antenna Setup Right Now! If you’ve been reading some of the articles on this site and have followed through and upgraded to a Network Tuner or similar, then this task will be much easier for you.
Once you have an idea where the towers are located go to your antenna and ensure it is pointed in the direction of your broadcast tower(s) to give you the best possible reception. This means you will need to figure out where these antenna towers are located in proximity to you.įor convenience, I have put together a really cool TV Antenna Station Locator page that will tell you exactly what channels are available in your area, and where your TV towers are located.Ĭheck out the video below to get your started. They are antenna preamplifiers and distribution amplifiers.īefore we discuss, what is the best TV antenna signal booster you should buy, let’s first make sure your antenna is mounted in a location that will provide the best possible line of site between you and the TV broadcast towers. The term “signal booster” can take on some different meanings so we will look at a couple different varieties of “signal boosters”. In this article we are going to take a look at what is the best TV antenna signal booster on the market right now.
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