Free Entertainment: How to Set up Your TV Antenna
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Friday, November 1, 2019
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Did you know that 6.6 million homes in America use TV antennas to watch their favorite over-the-air channels?
Although digital streaming services are becoming vastly used to consume entertainment, it still seems that watching traditional TV channels with an antenna is very popular.
Keep reading to learn more about your TV antenna setup so you can watch the TV shows that matter the most to you.
What is a TV Antenna?
A TV antenna, also known as a TV aerial, is an antenna that can be installed outside or inside your home to help get reception for over-the-air broadcast television channels. These television signals are transmitted at frequencies between 47 and 250 MHz in the VHF band and 470 to 960 MHz in the UHF band.
Essentially, if you want to watch TV you need a TV antenna. They are fairly cheap to buy and easy to set up. You can also get an HD antenna to ensure even better TV quality.
How to Hook up a TV Antenna
As mentioned, you can have an indoor and an outdoor antenna to receive signal for TV channels. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to install an indoor TV antenna.
If you have an Analog TV, you need to have a digital converter box to ensure you can get the channels available to you. The digital converter box will translate the signal for your TV.
TV Antenna Setup for Analog TV and a Digital Converter Box
The first thing you need to do is turn your TV off and unplug it from the socket. Then you need to disconnect your TV antenna from the TV. You can do this by taking out the antenna’s coaxial cable.
Put your digital converter box close to your TV. It needs to be close enough to your TV so that you don’t need to stretch or bend the wires, as this might cause problems for getting a good TV signal.
Then you need to attach the antenna to your digital converter box. You can do this by plugging the antenna into the IN coaxial port (which should be located at the back of the box.)
If your antenna cable is a screw-on one, then make sure that it is securely screwed on and tight.
Then you need to connect the digital converter box to your TV. Use the coaxial cable which came with your digital box by plugging the coaxial cable into the OUT port in the back of your digital box. Plug the other end of the cable into the IN coaxial port (the one that the antenna cable was plugged into) on your TV.
Plug your digital box into a wall socket and turn it on. At the same time, plug in your TV and turn it on too.
Then select the correct channel, most digital converter boxes will scan for digital channels when you switch to channel 3 or 4. After that, you can follow the on-screen setup, usually, this just requires you to select Next on your remote control until the box starts scanning for channels.
Let your digital box scan for different channels. This process will take a few minutes while your digital converter box finds digital channels in its range. Once this is complete, you can browse the channels and find something you want to watch.
HD Antenna Setup
Setting up an HD antenna is very similar to the above guide of connecting your antenna to a digital converter box. The HD antenna cables are exactly the same, only you aren’t connecting your antenna to the digital box, instead, you will connect it directly to your TV.
An HD antenna might help to improve the picture quality of your TV, however, just like a normal antenna, it’ll still depend on where you position it to what channels are available for you.
Position Your Antenna
One problem that an indoor antenna can encounter is a poor signal. An indoor antenna can sometimes be moved around the room, to ensure that it receives the best signal. So if you are having problems viewing some channels, make sure you move the antenna to a different spot.
The best places to ensure a good signal is in a window, high up on a wall, in front of, or behind the TV. Experiment with your antenna to find the best signal for your TV and the channels you want to receive.
Alternatively, you might want to think about getting an outdoor antenna. An outdoor antenna is often installed on your rooftop, or in your yard or garden. These are commonly tied to a home’s existing co-axial cable block, which allows the signal to be split between several rooms.
Is your TV not in the right place? Sometimes getting the right room set up is as important as ensuring your TV’s picture is clear. So have a look at how to mount your TV to a wall and find a TV mounting service to help complete your TV-watching experience.
Use Our Guide of a TV Antenna Setup
Decide whether you want to use an indoor or an outdoor antenna for your home and whether you want a normal antenna or an HD antenna. Then follow our guide for your TV antenna setup and start enjoying your favorite TV shows now.
Discover more of our great entertainment articles to find out what the latest TV shows are and start enjoying your new TV setup.
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