10 tips for choosing a TV antenna

In accordance with this parameter, TV antennas are divided into three separate groups:

• indoor - deployed indoors (preferably near a window to avoid interference) and pick up electromagnetic signals at a small distance from the repeater. As a rule, the distance to the broadcasting point in the case of using such antennas can be up to 10 kilometers. Also, a very important condition is the absence of interference-forming elements in the path of wave propagation (dense forests, powerful floors, etc.).
• street - the most common type of antenna, found in places with a lot of interference (dense buildings, hilly terrain, high metal fences).Such models are installed, most often, on masts and carried out 4-7 meters above ground level.
• hybrid - antenna models used with minor interfering elements on the way to the repeater. To improve the signal, these devices are fixed with a bracket on the outside of the wall, which, on the one hand, slightly increases their sensitivity, and on the other hand, reliably protects them from gusts of wind.

It's no secret that the reception of electromagnetic waves in the antenna is carried out using bare metal parts called jumpers and vibrators. Accordingly, the more such elements an antenna has, the better things are with the clarity of signal reception.

If your apartment or house is located within the city, and the repeater tower is located at a distance of less than 5 kilometers, then in this case you can use antennas containing from 2 to 8 elements.

If the house or cottage is located outside the urban environment, and the distance to the TV tower does not exceed 10 kilometers, pay attention to antennas with 8-20 vibrators and jumpers in the design.

With a significant distance from the repeater (up to 30 kilometers), the best option for obtaining a stable image on the TV will be a receiver with 30-50 elements.

In all other cases (up to a distance of 80 kilometers), only special devices containing 55-62 working parts will help.

Installing a TV antenna outdoors implies periodic influence of wind loads on it, so it is very important to think about this aspect at the time of purchase. Everything is extremely simple here:

• when using the antenna in places where wind is a rather rare, fleeting and weak phenomenon, devices with a working wind load of 20 meters per second are suitable. In particular, the "ceiling" of such models occurs at an air flow speed of 40 meters per second, after which the inevitable destruction and scattering of working elements occurs.
• wind gusts tend to be higher at higher elevations than at lowlands, so settlements and cities built in such terrain will need antennas capable of withstanding gusts of 25 to 50 meters per second. The economic effect from the purchase of such models will be significant, since the probability of their safety even with a storm (squally) wind is quite high.

In general, the wider the receiving range of a television antenna, the more channels will be available. You can navigate in this aspect by the following values:

• 29-230 MHz - if the receiving device can work within these limits, then channels from 1 to 12 of the Russian television network will be available to you.
• channels 13 to 20 are 231-469 MHz frequencies. However, this “variation” does not occur separately - the antennas are either limited to the previous indicator, or they catch everything up to the upper bar of the next category.
• support for the range from 470 to 862 MHz "clings" the remaining channels of the broadcast grid - from 21 to 69.However, the vast majority of antennas have a limitation on the upper frequency limit (most often reaching up to 760 MHz), which is why they can catch a maximum of the 60th channel from the list.
• To determine whether the antenna can work with digital TV, be sure to look for the designation DVB-T and DVB-T2 on the packaging label or on the plastic of the product itself. If there is none, then it is designed exclusively for working with analog signals.

When using a satellite (digital) TV antenna, remember that the diameter of the reflector can vary between 50-150 centimeters. The degree of capture of signals from orbital broadcasting satellites and the possibility of their further transmission largely depend on it. In addition, the dimensions of such a "plate" significantly affect the operation of television during precipitation.

• plates measuring 50-70 centimeters can be found in urban areas, but they are very rarely purchased by summer residents and owners of private country houses. The fact is that, while supporting the reception of signals from all known providers, they are subject to a large amount of interference caused by even slight precipitation.
• 80- and 90-cm models are ideal for followers of Tricolor TV and NTV Plus. They have a stable signal with significant gusts of wind (because they do not have a large windage), and are also easily serviced in case of precipitation (snow, ice formation, etc.).
• a diameter of 120-150 centimeters allows you to receive signals from satellites "Yamal", "Euroset", etc. With high windage, they are practically immune to weather precipitation and are easy to maintain.Suitable for subscribers of "Rainbow TV" and "NTV-plus lite", but most often used as unlimited receivers.

A very important aspect of choice, which is not given due attention. To protect the metal of antennas from corrosion, special protective compounds are used that extend the service life of individual elements for a long time.

The cheapest treatment is powder coating, which creates a stable layer of paint on the surface. It is more expedient to use antennas with such a protective layer in places with a humid climate and frequent rains, since the main "damage" to the operational resource is caused by the sun. Over time, the coating begins to dry out, crack and come off, exposing the metal of the antenna to the base for the initiation of corrosion.

But for dry and hot regions, models with a galvanized metal surface are ideal. Having the ability to gradually wash off the surface under the influence of water flows, such a film is very resistant to direct sunlight. It lasts an average of 5-7 years, after which the coating procedure can be repeated independently.

The third type of protection for the metal of the antenna can be called the conclusion in a plastic or rubber sheath. They do this mainly with indoor antennas, which already have a solid supply of a working resource.

Another key parameter that demonstrates the ability of the antenna to independently improve the quality of the received signal. The main difference between active and passive models is the presence of a built-in amplifier.If, when receiving a signal, the antenna relies solely on its own design (the number of vibrators and jumpers, their location), then it is called passive. The "ceiling" of these devices is 30 kilometers away from the signal source. Moreover, the quality of the final image is affected not only by the distance, but also by the number of interfering units on the path of propagation of electromagnetic waves.

In its turn, active antennas allow you to significantly expand the reception area up to 60-80 kilometers, as well as to minimize interference from most obstacles. However, their main drawback lies in the cost, which is not an example higher than that of analogues without a built-in amplifier.

If the cost parameter becomes more important than the quality of signal reception, a passive antenna can always be supplemented with an external amplifier. These devices are sold either as elements with ready-made inputs / outputs for cable, or as integrated circuits that must be soldered into a circuit or placed directly in the antenna body (if such is provided for by the design).

Among the advantages of "prepared" amplifiers is ease of installation, the possibility of quick replacement, as well as (optional) the presence of several cable outlets. In other words, such models can combine the function of a splitter that divides the signal into several streams for broadcasting to different TVs.

The advantages of microcircuit amplifiers are, as a rule, a low price and a set of higher operating parameters.Actually, this compensates for the difficulty of installing them or connecting them to the network, as well as the need to provide protection in case of precipitation.

The key characteristic of any amplifier, showing how many times the received signal will be amplified. Within the framework of the standard, the gain does not go beyond the range from 2 to 50 dB, and is divided into three separate groups:

• when an object is located (whether it is a summer house, an apartment or a house) at a distance of 30 to 45 kilometers from the repeater, a device is required with a coefficient in the region of 10-20 dB, acting on each type of received electromagnetic waves (decimeter and meter);
• if the distance to the source is 50-60 kilometers, it would be ideal to buy an antenna with a 25-30 dB amplifier, provided that there are no powerful interference generators on the broadcast path;
• in all other cases, when your site is up to 80 kilometers away from the tower, use the most expensive, but at the same time the most “punching” type of receivers with a gain of 36 to 45-50 dB.

It is also important to remember that individual amplifiers, as a rule, are focused on a small antenna distance from the repeater, and in the vast majority of cases they have a coefficient equal to 20-25 dB ... minus possible intrinsic noise (from 1 to 5 dB).

One of the additional functions of television antennas is the ability to work with radio waves.In general, this aspect is secondary, but for some users it is very important (mostly the target audience of the radio is people who spend time in the country).

To broadcast the broadcast of radio stations, it is enough to choose an antenna with the reception of ultrashort waves. You can find information about the support of this function in the technical specifications or on the packaging (marked "VHF" or "FM").