How to Improve TV Signal with the Right Antenna

When it comes to improving your television performance, TV antennas are a great way to get access to the channels you’re after. However, it doesn’t just stop at the quality of your antenna.

Often, to improve your TV signal, you want to ensure the antenna placement is optimised and that you’re verifying your hardware as well as retuning/testing for the best quality picture.

Whether you already have a TV antenna and want to improve its performance, or you’re about to get a new one, here are some helpful tips to help improve it.

1. Optimise Antenna Placement

Firstly, look at moving the antenna to your loft or mounting it outdoors on a chimney mast or on the roof itself.

The problem with antennas is that they’ll typically degrade in signal strength when passing through roof tiles and thick walls.

Make sure to create a clear line of sight, pointing the antenna directly at the nearest TV broadcast tower. Avoid any large metal objects, power lines, or dense trees. In cases where you need to use an indoor antenna, make sure it’s placed upstairs by a window and facing directly towards the tower.

2. Verify Your Hardware

If you’re living in an area where the signal is weak, then it’s worth upgrading to a high-gain aerial, which is designed to capture distant signals.

Old, corroded, and loose coaxial cables can often lead to heavy signal loss. That’s why it’s important to replace any worn-out cables with high-quality, fully shielded coaxial cables.

For weak signals there’s a benefit of installing a masthead or set-back signal amplifier. If you’re too close to a transmitter and the signal is overloaded, then adding an attenuator to fix picture break-ups is helpful too.

3. Retune and Retest

In order to help improve your TV signal, often the solution is to retune and reset your television. Anytime you move, adjust, or upgrade your antenna, you’ll want to perform a full rescan on your television. 

This is often called an Auto-Tune or Auto-Scan, depending on the television you have, and can be found in your TV’s settings.

When you have multiple TVs and only one is getting a bad picture, then the built-in tuner is likely struggling due to being outdated or failing. This can be helped with something like a Freeview set-top box plugged into your television. 

If you’re looking to improve your TV signal strength, then making sure to have the right TV antenna is key. From there, the tips above will hopefully provide you with the useful tips and tricks that will keep that signal strong and performing well. Any issues may be the result of changes to the antenna or the antenna needing replacement.

As with all antennas, if it’s going onto the roof, it’s best to have it installed by a professional. That way, you protect not only yourself but your home, too. There’s nothing more terrifying for your health than risking your life climbing up to a roof with the wrong equipment.