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How to Install a TV Antenna

An antenna is a simple device that’s used for picking up signals in the air and then decoding them and sending them over to your television. Long before people had cable television, the only way to get video on the television was to have an antenna on the roof of your house. The antenna was a very common feature and could easily be seen on the roof of virtually every house. Back then, antennas used to be quite weird. They were spindly metallic things that were installed on the roof of the house and were used for catching signals from the air. Because of the low receptive qualities of most antennas, professionals had to be really careful when placing the antennas. They had to position them accordingly and check carefully to ensure that the antennas worked well. In some cases, aluminium foil was also used to boost the receptive capabilities of the antenna.

However, those days are long gone. Thanks to the modern technology and innovations available today, modern antennas are much more powerful and thankfully do not look like those spindly metallic things any more. Today, the most popular antennas are generally quite small and resemble a simple box. They even have USB amplifiers built in so that performance can be improved. Since there have been so many advances in this field, one would think that the process of installation would also have improved. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. If you want to buy a new antenna but do not know how to install it, the following paragraphs will give you some basic information.

 Understand the Land First

Depending upon where you live, the signal reception will vary. Therefore, the first thing that you need to do before even buying the antenna is to get an idea about the land. There are several websites on which you just have to insert the information about where you live and the site will show you where the closest broadcast stations are. If the broadcast stations are farther away from your place, you will need to invest in a high-powered TV antenna.

Buying the Right Antenna

Another thing that you will have to do is to find the right antenna based on your requirements. There are some antennas which offer HD video too but they are slightly more expensive. If you live at a considerable distance away from the broadcast stations, you should consider investing in an amplified antenna. They are specifically designed for use in houses that are located at a long distance from the radio tower.

Installation

If you don’t know how to install the antenna yourself, you can hire a local company to install it for you. The company will charge a small fee for installing the antenna. You can also buy the antenna through the company as well. They will make sure that the job is done within a short span of time and that you get quality video on your television around the clock.